TEUTOPOLIS, Ill. (WAND) - State Representative Adam Niemerg (R-Teutopolis) is calling for accountability from the Illinois Department of Transportation following a crash Friday that involved an anhydrous ammonia leak, left five dead, and led to parts of Teutopolis being evacuated.
Rep. Niemerg also expressed gratitude for the first responders and emergency workers who responded to the incident.
IDOT diverted traffic from Interstate 70 several hours earlier but had not yet resumed normal traffic back to I-70 several hours later, Rep. Niemerg's office said.
“I have been frustrated this entire year by IDOT’s inability to take action to alleviate the accidents due to construction on Interstate 70," Rep. Niemerg said. "I have had little or no cooperation. Now we have additional loss of life with my hometown evacuated. I am calling for a full investigation, full accountability from state IDOT officials, and an action plan initiated immediately to avoid any more tragedies such as this.”
A representative from IDOT sent the following response to Rep. Niemerg's call to action:
"We have frequently made ourselves available to the representative to discuss any project, Interstate 70 included. Our focus at this time is working with knowledgeable federal and state authorities as they conduct a thorough, informative investigation into this weekend’s tragedy. Baseless claims without evidence will not advance those efforts.”
Five people, an adult and two children from a local family, plus a driver from Missouri and another from Ohio, were killed in the crash.
The driver of the anhydrous ammonia tanker was among the five other people injured and airlifted out for medical treatment.
Related Links
- Tanker of anhydrous ammonia that leaked in Teutopolis crash has been drained, patched
- Attempt to pass a tanker may have led to the deadly chemical crash in Illinois, official says
- Victims of Teutopolis crash identified
- State Rep. Niemerg calls for IDOT accountability following deadly crash, HAZMAT leak
According to state police, more traffic than usual was on the roadway at the time because drivers on Interstate 70 had been diverted around the scene of an earlier crash that took place at 4:50 p.m. east of Effingham, state police said.
The deadly crash and leak happened at 9:25 p.m. Friday at 19740 East U.S. Highway 40, about half a mile east of Teutopolis.
Authorities initially evacuated a 2-square-mile area on the east side of town.
Two regional hazardous materials teams, 15 emergency response departments and nearly 100 of their crew members responded to the spill Friday night.
Representatives from the National Transportation Safety Board, Illinois Environmental Protection Agency, Illinois Emergency Management Agency and Office of Homeland Security were also on the scene Saturday.
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