Crime & Safety
Driver In Crash That Killed 5 Identified: State Police
The downstate crash proved deadly for five people — including two small children — after a tanker leaked anhydrous ammonia.
TEUTOPOLIS, IL — State police have identified the vehicle and driver believed to be involved in the crash that killed five people — including two small children — last week in Effingham County, according to authorities.
Police sought the public’s help earlier this week to identify a dark vehicle that crossed Spring Creek Road while westbound on U.S. Highway 40 in Montrose just minutes before the collision near Teutopolis. Authorities visited Casey, Montrose and Teutopolis to retrieve surveillance video and asked anyone with information to contact them.
“Thank you to the communities of Montrose and Teutopolis, and everyone who provided information to ISP,” state police Director Brendan Kelly said in a news release. “The information we received from the community has been instrumental in identifying the vehicle and driver believed to be involved in this case.”
Find out what's happening in Across Illinoisfor free with the latest updates from Patch.
The crash may have started when a vehicle tried to pass a tanker carrying anhydrous ammonia, according to Tom Chapman, a member of the National Transportation Safety Board, who said the tanker’s driver pulled to the right and ran off the road while traveling west on U.S. Highway 40.
The accident occurred about 8:40 p.m., Chapman said. The crash spilled roughly 4,000 gallons of the tanker’s 7,500-gallon load, according to police.
Find out what's happening in Across Illinoisfor free with the latest updates from Patch.
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 carried around the United States by pipeline, trucks and trains.
Five people died of exposure to the chemical, with many more injured and about 500 evacuated for close to a day. The county coroner's office identified the victims as 7-year-old Rosie Bryan and 10-year-old Walker Bryan, both from Beecher City; their father, 34-year-old Kenneth Bryan of Teutopolis; 31-year-old Vasile Cricovan of Twinsburg, Ohio; and 67-year-old Danny J. Smith, of New Haven, Missouri.
Get more local news delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up for free Patch newsletters and alerts.
