Truck crash near Effingham kills 5 and sends toxic plume of ammonia, causing evacuations
Fire Protection District truck blocks Main Street in Teutopolis, Ill. on Saturday, Sept. 30, to prevent traffic from entering the area still contaminated by the anhydrous ammonia that leaked as a result of the previous night's vehicle accident. Owen Henderson/IPM News
A fatal tanker truck crash on September 29, 2023 killed five people, injured five others and prompted an evacuation for hundreds of residents after a leak of toxic anhydrous ammonia. The truck that was a part of the crash on the highway in Effingham County was carrying 7,500 gallons of anhydrous ammonia., a toxic substance that can be fatal to people upon contact. Over 500 people from Teutopolis, a village that’s a couple of miles away from Effingham, were evacuated to safety.
The crash occurred on US Highway 40, and among our guests who were helping us make sense of the scene, we were joined by the Director of the Illinois Trucking Association.
Guests:
Matt Hart
Executive Director, Illinois Trucking Association
Eliot Clay
Land Use Programs Director • Illinois Environmental Council
Cole Henke
Capitol Bureau Chief, WCIA-TV