A federal report on a tanker-truck crash in central Illinois a year ago that spilled a toxic chemical and killed five people includes an interview with a 17-year-old Ohio girl. The truck was forced off the road as the girl passed it with a minivan, causing the tanker to slow and pull to the right to avoid a head-on collision. The tanker was carrying caustic anhydrous ammonia when it jack-knifed and spilled about half of its 7,500-gallon load in Teutopolis, Illinois. The incident resulted in the deaths of five people and about 500 people were evacuated to spare them exposure to the hazardous chemical.
The National Transportation Safety Board released dash-cam video from the accident, showing the moment the tanker truck was forced off the road by the passing minivan. The girl, whose name was redacted in the transcript of the interview, expressed shock and remorse upon viewing the video during an Illinois State Police interview. She admitted that it was her fault and acknowledged her lack of good judgment in judging distances and timing while passing the tanker at a high speed. The truck driver, who survived the crash, explained that he moved onto the shoulder to give the minivan space to merge, lost traction on gravel, and hit a drainage culvert.
The girl said that she was traveling with her mother and brother to visit her mother’s boyfriend in the Illinois suburbs of St. Louis when she passed the tanker truck. While she thought she had plenty of clearance to pass, she narrowly avoided an oncoming vehicle when she pulled back to the right after accelerating to clear traffic. The girl mentioned that she passed three other trucks on the road before passing the tanker and that a previous accident diverted traffic onto the road from Interstate 70 that night.
The investigation conducted by the Illinois State Police concluded that the tanker truck crash was caused by the driver being forced off the road by the passing minivan. However, the report by the National Transportation Safety Board did not include any analysis or conclusions about the incident, with further details expected to be released later. Effingham County State’s Attorney Aaron Jones is reviewing the findings from the state police investigation, but no comments were made at the time of the report. The girl expressed that she had no prior knowledge of the crash until her mother read news accounts of the incident during their return trip to Ohio.
The incident that occurred in Teutopolis, Illinois resulted in several deaths and the evacuation of hundreds of people due to exposure to the toxic chemicals spilled by the tanker truck. The girl’s passing of the tanker truck caused a chain reaction that led to the crash and subsequent spill. The girl expressed regret and acknowledged her mistake during the police interview, stating that she had difficulties judging distances and timing in the past. The investigation into the crash is ongoing, with more information expected to be released in the future.
