Lawmakers are proposing measures in response to a fatal anhydrous ammonia tanker accident in 2023

Illinois senators passed legislation in response to a fatal accident involving an anhydrous ammonia tanker last fall.

Five people died – including a father and his two young children – when they were exposed to the toxic chemical. A total of 11 people were injured, some of whom were airlifted from the scene in Effingham County.

The truck was transporting nearly 7,500 gallons of anhydrous ammonia along US 40 near Teutopolis.

Officials said a vehicle attempted to overtake the tanker. The truck driver then left the road to avoid an accident with oncoming traffic. The tanker truck crashed into a commercial vehicle trailer parked directly on the street.

“As the tanker truck overturned, it struck and exposed the top of the tank,” said Tom Chapman of the National Transportation Safety Board. “As the momentum carried the tank forward, it came into contact with the hitch of the utility trailer. The towbar penetrated the cargo tank and left a hole approximately 15cm in diameter.”

About half of the truck’s load was spilled. The accident caused “a large cloud of anhydrous ammonia on the roadway.”

SB 3406 requires the Illinois Secretary of State to include education about hazardous materials posters in the Rules of the Road publication used to train students in driver’s education courses. The aim of the legislation is to train drivers so that they know when they are transporting dangerous goods on the roads.

“It is my hope that drivers, especially younger drivers, will be educated about how deadly even minor accidents involving vehicles carrying dangerous goods can be,” said Senator McClure (R-Springfield). “I hope that better training for drivers will help save lives.”

The legislation awaits action in the House of Representatives.

Those who died in the incident were identified as:

Kenneth Bryan, 34, of Teutopolis, Illinois.
Rosie Bryan, 7, of Beecher City, Illinois.
Walker Bryan, 10, of Beecher City, Illinois.
Danny J. Smith, 67, of New Haven, Missouri.
Vasile Cricovan, 31, of Twinsburg, Ohio

The leak led to the evacuation of about 500 people within a one-mile radius. Due to an earlier accident on Interstate 70, traffic, including the tanker, was pushed onto the highway bisecting Teutopolis.

Anhydrous ammonia is used by farmers to add nitrogen fertilizer to the soil and as a refrigerant in the cooling systems of large buildings such as warehouses and factories. According to the American Chemical Society, it is transported across the United States by pipeline, trucks and trains.

Lawsuits filed by some victims and families are still pending.