TEUTOPOLIS, Ill. — A new report details the chain of events that led to a crash involving an anhydrous ammonia tanker that killed five people in Effingham County.
The National Transportation Safety Board on Wednesday released its initial report on a fatal Sept. 29 crash on Highway 40 near Teutopolis.
According to the report, a tractor-trailer carrying about 7,500 gallons of anhydrous ammonia was traveling westbound on the two-lane highway when another westbound car tried to pass it in a no-passing zone, driving into the path of an oncoming eastbound car.
The driver of the tractor-trailer said he took "evasive action" by steering to the right to prevent a head-on crash between the two cars, resulting in the tractor-trailer traveling into a shallow roadside drainage ditch.
The tractor-trailer struck the end of a 12-inch metal pipe culvert, which caused the truck to jackknife and roll onto its right side. This caused the cargo tank to slide forward and strike the tow ring of a utility trailer that had been parked next to the road on private property.
The tow ring punctured the tank, and anhydrous ammonia was released in the form of a white cloud, the report said.
Five people in the area of the crash died and 11 others sustained minor to severe injuries due to exposure to the anhydrous ammonia. The tractor-trailer driver also was injured by both the crash and exposure to the gas.
The chemical spill led to the evacuation of about 500 Teutopolis residents within a mile of the crash site.
Autopsies completed earlier this month confirmed all five victims died of anhydrous ammonia exposure. They were identified as Teutopolis resident Kenneth Bryan, 34, and his children, Walker Bryan, 10 and Rosie Bryan, 7; Danny J. Smith, 67 of New Haven, Missouri; and Vasile Cricovan, 31, of Twinsburg, Ohio.
An annotated photo released by NTSB showed an aerial view of the crash scene.
The crash remains under investigation by the NTSB. The full preliminary report can be viewed on its website.
