Deadly tanker crash and chemical spill caused when truck runs off road to avoid passing driver
CHICAGO (CBS) -- Investigators have released the cause of a deadly tanker truck crash and chemical spill that happened in central Illinois Friday night.
Federal investigators with the National Transportation Safety Board were on the scene Sunday along U.S. Route 40 in Teutopolis.
Investigators say the truck ran off the road to avoid hitting another driver who was trying to pass. The tanker then rolled over and collided with a utility trailer parked along the road.
"When the tractor trailer jackknifed, it exposed the head end of the tanker. The tanker came in direct contact with the hitch on the utility trailer. That punctured the tanker," said Thomas Chapman with the NTSB.
The tanker was carrying 7,500 gallons of toxic anhydrous ammonia. Investigators say about half was released into the air, prompting nearby evacuations of about 500 residents.
The crash killed five people, including two young children.
The Effingham County Coroner released the names of the victims: Danny Smith, 67, of New Haven, Missouri; Vasile Cricovan, 31, of Twinsburg, Ohio; Kenneth Bryan, 34, of Teutopolis, Illinois; Rosie Bryan, 7, of Beecher City, Illinois; and Walker Bryan, 10, of Beecher City, Illinois.