I-74 reopens after tanker overturned is cleaned up

ST. LEON, Ind. - The Indiana State Police have reopened Interstate 74 after a tanker truck overturned, spilling chemicals Friday morning.

The highway was shut down at least five miles of I-74 both west and eastbound after a tanker truck with hazardous chemicals overturned at the 159-mile marker.

Police said they may be able to speed up clean up of the wreck and reopening of the highway by early afternoon.

The wreck happened around 7:30 a.m. Friday, injuring the truck's driver. Twenty-nine-year-old Andrezej Grela of Chicago suffered cuts and bruises to his head after hitting the truck's windshield. Although he was conscious and talking when he was found, a medical helicopter took him to University Hospital in Cincinnati as a precaution.

Police indicated that because of the flammable, hazardous chemical leaking from the truck, they had cordoned off an area about 300 meters or 1,000 feet around the overturned truck to keep people away. Areas around St. Peter and St. Peters Road were shutdown, out of concern that winds could carry fumes into populated areas.

They identified the leaking chemical as phthalic amhydride molten, which they said could turn into toxic fumes that can spread through the air and wind. The truck had a 4,000-gallon tank and investigators suspect only a few gallons actually leaked from the overturned truck.

The chemical was in a molten state at over 300 degrees when it was being transported. When the leaking chemical hit the air, it cooled down and started to solidify.

For several hours, police and sheriff’s deputies kept people away from St. Peter Road, near the wreck, out of concern chemical fumes could become toxic. No nearby homes were evacuated.

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency website lists phthalic amhydride molten as a toxic industrial chemical that is used in dyes and pigments.

The forced detour along Indiana 46 caused miles of backed-up traffic along I-74.