January 31st, 2011 | 
Author: MATTOON, KY – A tanker truck accident Friday morning, january 7, shut down a part of a highway in Crittenden County, Kentucky. The semi tanker was carrying a potentially hazardous material when it rolled over on U.S. Highway 60 near the city of Mattoon, KY. The accident occurred in the far west corner of Kentucky, about 123 miles southeast of Carbondale, Illinois and about 92 miles northwest of Clarksville, Tennessee.
On Friday morning an unidentified truck driver was traveling on U.S. Highway 60, driving through the western part of Kentucky. At the time of the truck accident the tanker section was filled with an unknown amount of anhydrous ammonia, reported to be a kind of farm fertilizer. The tanker section had the logo for Breeden. C.R. Breeden Enterprises, Inc is a transportation company based in Sikeston, Missouri.
Just before 11:00 a.m. Friday morning the semi tanker truck had reached Crittenden County and was driving through the small town of Mattoon. The tanker trailer driver was at the juncture with Kentucky State Highway 654 and was attempting to turn the 18 wheeler when the truck accident happened. According Kentucky State Police, as the driver was making the turn the back wheels on the tanker went into a culvert running alongside the highway. The sudden movement threw the tanker truck off balance and it flipped over onto its left side, briefly trapping the driver inside the cab section. The semi tanker would come to a rest partially blocking the intersection of US 60 and Kentucky 654.
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No other vehicles or persons were involved in the truck accident.
Local emergency teams and officers with the Kentucky State Police responded to the single vehicle crash. The driver was not injured in the rollover truck accident and reportedly did not require medical treatment or hospitalization. The tanker section was apparently not damaged when it overturned and there were no reports of the anhydrous ammonia spilling out onto the roadway.
Once KSP realized the potential danger of the material the tanker was carrying, they cordoned off a section of the highway around the truck accident site. Initially authorities thought they might have to offload the anhydrous ammonia into a second truck before attempting to move the disabled semi. However, a crew using a heavy duty tow truck was able to pull the tanker truck off the intersection without first draining the chemical farm fertilizer. Once it was off the highway the crew got the tanker truck back on its wheels and towed it from the site of the truck accident.
Teams from both Crittenden and Union counties assisted at the crash site, along with crews from the Kentucky Department of Transportation. KDOT issued an alert to drivers to avoid the area. Police used road blocks to divert vehicles around the truck accident site and rerouted drivers to secondary roads and other detours.
Since the teams were able to remove the semi tanker without having to transfer the anhydrous ammonia, it reduced the amount of time the highway was closed. KDOT reopened US 60 early Friday afternoon, just a few hours after the rollover truck accident.
At this time it is unclear if the truck driver faces any charges. Officials have stated that the truck accident was caused by the back wheels of the tanker going into the culvert, but they have not said whether they believe the driver could have taken action to prevent the rollover.
The tanker driver could be charged in the future, once the truck accident investigation is complete.
Gordon Elias & Seely, LLP recommend that if you know anyone who has been injured or killed as the result of a commercial truck accident involving a semi truck, 18 wheeler, big rig, tractor trailer or bus, tell them to immediately contact a qualified truck accident lawyer for advice. Gordon, Elias & Seely LLP are licensed in Arkansas, Texas, Louisiana and Washington, DC and have informal relationships with other truck accident lawyers. Visit our Kentucky truck accident lawyer page or call 800.773.6770.
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