5 dead after crash, chemical leak in downstate Teutopolis

Five people were killed in a multi-vehicle crash that included a tanker truck carrying a toxic chemical that spilled Friday night, triggering a large temporary evacuation near downstate Effingham.

The truck was holding 7,500 gallons of anhydrous ammonia, of which about 4,000 gallons spilled, according to the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency. The crash happened about 9:25 p.m. Friday in Teutopolis, about 200 miles south of Chicago.

Effingham County Coroner Kim Rhodes said the five dead included three from the same family — one adult and two children under 12. The other two were adult motorists from out of state, Rhodes said. Additionally, five people were airlifted to hospitals, their conditions unknown.

About 500 people were evacuated from the area of the crash due to the spill, but officials said late Saturday night that residents could return home.

“Testing has indicated that the danger from the anhydrous ammonia has dissipated,” Teutopolis Assistant Fire Chief Joe Holomy said.

The full number of people injured and vehicles involved in the accident hasn’t been released.

Jeff Long /Effingham Daily News via AP

Anhydrous ammonia is a flammable, colorless, highly irritating gas with a pungent, suffocating odor, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. It’s used by farmers to add nitrogen fertilizer to soil, and also as a refrigerant in the cooling systems of large buildings.

The crash and spill caused “a large plume, cloud of anhydrous ammonia on the roadway that caused terribly dangerous air conditions in the northeast area of Teutopolis,” Effingham County Sheriff Paul Kuhns said. “Because of these conditions, the emergency responders had to wait. They had to mitigate the conditions before they could really get to work on it, and it was a fairly large area.”

Crews working overnight struggled against shifting wind.

“The wind changed three or four different times on us,” said Tim McMahon, chief of the Teutopolis Fire Protection District. “That’s another reason we got crews out in different places, reporting back on which way the wind’s going.”

The leak was partially patched by midday Saturday and by the evening the tanker truck had been fully drained of anhydrous ammonia, which was “removed to a secure location pending an investigation by the National Transportation Safety Board,” the Illinois Emergency Management Agency said.

Route 40 between Effingham and Montrose remained closed throughout the day.

The cause of the crash had not been determined.

In 2019, an anhydrous ammonia spill in north suburban Beach Park sent 37 people to hospitals.

“It’s terrible,” Kuhns said. “It’s bad stuff if you are involved in breathing it, especially because it gets in your airways, in your lungs, and it burns.”

Contributing: Associated Press