SPRINGFIELD, IL : A truck crash in Illinois kills 5, injures 5 and forces evacuation over ammonia leak on Sunday, 1st October 2023

The tanker truck crash in central Illinois that killed five people may have started when another vehicle tried to pass the chemical-laden truck, a federal transportation official said Sunday.

The tanker truck was carrying caustic anhydrous ammonia when it jackknifed Friday night, and hit a utility trailer parked just off the highway, according to Tom Chapman, a member of the National Transportation Safety Board. The tank carrying anhydrous ammonia hit the trailer hitch of the other vehicle, which punched a six-inch (15 centimeter) hole in the chemical container, Chapman said during news conference Sunday.

Chapman said the tanker truck's driver pulled to the right and ran off the road as it traveled west on U.S. 40 in Teutopolis, a small community about 110 miles (177 kilometers) northeast of St. Louis.

"It happened in a relatively short period of time," Chapman said. "This was a rapid sequence of events."

The accident occurred about 8:40 p.m. local time, Chapman said, revising the 9:25 p.m. time authorities originally gave. The crash spilled roughly half the truck's 7,500 gallon (28,390-liter) load. The rest was drained and moved to a "secure location" for the NTSB's investigation, authorities said late Saturday, as area residents were allowed to return to their homes after being evacuated.


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