Background: The aftermath of a tanker-truck crash that killed five people in Springfield, Ill. Inset: Footage of a car believed to have been connected to the crash (WCIA/YouTube).
A teen driver from Ohio has apparently admitted to setting off a chain of events that ended in a fatal tanker crash and a toxic chemical spill in central Illinois.
Five people were killed when a semitruck carrying anhydrous ammonia in Teutopolis, in central Illinois, on Sept. 29, 2023. The tanker jackknifed when it veered to the right in an apparent attempt to avoid a collision when another vehicle tried to pass it on U.S. 40, around 110 miles northeast of St. Louis, at around 8:40 p.m. According to the National Transportation Safety Board, the tank hit the trailer hitch of a vehicle parked just off the road, leaving a 6-inch hole in the chemical container.
About half the tanker’s 7,500-gallon load spilled, forcing the evacuation of around 500 people. The fatalities were due to exposure to the chemical, which is normally used by farmers to add nitrogen to soil. It is also used as a refrigerant in large buildings.
