STORM2K

I-71 Shut Down Due To Acid Spill

Reported by: 9News
Web produced by: Liz Foreman
Photographed by: 9News
Last updated: 11/12/03 3:34:25 PM

I-71 has been shut down in both directions due to a hydrochloric acid spill in Kentucky.
The spill happened when tanker truck overturned on I-71 near Carrollton, in Henry, Gallatin and Carroll counties.

The roadway is shut down between the exits for Carrollton and Sparta and will probably be shut down until 4 p.m., according to the Kentucky State Police.

There have been no injuries or evacuations at this point.

State HAZMAT and DES personnel are on the scene along with a HAZMAT cleanup crew.

The cleanup effort should last into the early evening. Three Troopers that were at the scene have gone through decontamination as a precautionary measure.

Trooper Tim Vinal is investigating the crash.

Also, a child was killed in Wednesday morning wreck that took place a half-mile from the tanker first wreck.

A passenger car driven by Tanya Pelston, 27 from Carrollton, Kentucky did not notice that traffic had stopped in front of her as a result of overturned tanker truck.

The passenger side of Pelstons vehicle struck the rear of a tractor trailer that was stopped. The tractor trailer driver, Fred Barnes, 47, from Bell Buckle, Tennessee, received no injuries.

Pelston was taken to Carroll Hospital by Carroll County EMS after receiving serious injuries in the crash.

Pelston and her 5-year-old daughter, Lilly Kelly, were not wearing seatbelts.

Brrrrr...I still get chills when I read "Carrollton." I remember the Carrollton County bus crash.

Also, another wreck shut down the other of the N/S hwys. in this area...just after 430am...

Truck Accident, Flooding Cause Morning Rush Hour Tie-Ups
Reported by: 9News
Web produced by: Liz Foreman
Photographed by: 9News
Last updated: 11/12/03 10:25:06 AM


Update @ 10:15 a.m.: The overturned truck has been removed and the roadway has fully reopened.

A tractor trailer overturned on Northbound I-75 in Northern Kentucky Wednesday morning,

One Northbound lane is now open at the crash site, just north of Kyle's Lane. Crews are working to remove the truck from the roadway so the other two lanes can open.

The truck carrying frozen ham has been on its side since approximately 4:30 a.m. The driver was not injured in the crash and no other vehicles were involved.

Investigators said the truck probably slipped due to wet roads and excessive speed coming around the hill.

Send out the Pepcid AC!!

GalvestonDuck wrote:Brrrrr...I still get chills when I read "Carrollton." I remember the Carrollton County bus crash.

What year was that??? I was born in '85, remember hearing of it...

That's not good news!

Keep us informed.

Currently it looks like it will be about 8 before they get I-71 reopened...no official word yet however...

therock1811 wrote:

GalvestonDuck wrote:Brrrrr...I still get chills when I read "Carrollton." I remember the Carrollton County bus crash.

What year was that??? I was born in '85, remember hearing of it...

Couldn't remember the exact date in '88 so I looked it up.

http://www.madd.org/aboutus/0,1056,1711,00.html


On May 14, 1988, a school bus full of children, teens and chaperones traveled down Interstate 71 to Radcliff, Kentucky, on the way home from a church outing at a Cincinnati amusement park.

But in the town of Carrollton, Kentucky, a drunk driver, heading the wrong way down the highway in a pickup truck, slammed into the bus head on. The bus burst into flames, killing 24 young people and three adults. Thirty other people were injured. The pickup driver, Larry Mahoney, was a repeat drunk-driving offender. He survived, sustaining only minor injuries. His blood alcohol concentration (BAC) was .24 percent-substantially more than the legal limit in Kentucky.

Wow...I was 2years old when it happened...

Anyway, here's another take on the acid spill, from fox41 in LOU........

Interstate 71 shut down after haz-mat tanker overturns, child killed

Kentucky State Police say it could be well into Wednesday evening before Interstate 71 reopens between Carrollton and Sparta, after a tanker carrying a hazardous chemical overturned Wednesday morning.

That accident led to another crash that killed a five-year old girl.

The first accident, which happened around 6:45 a.m. EST, saw the tanker overturn into the median at mile-marker 50 on I-71.

The tanker carried hydrochloric acid, or hydrogen chloride, a caustic chemical harmful if one is exposed to it.

State police closed a 13-mile stretch of the interstate to traffic in both directions to allow for the clean-up.

Residents within half a mile of the tanker were evacuated, but their number is few because the truck overturned in a rural area.

Some state troopers were treated for exposure to the acid after they responded to the accident. They were within a half-mile of the truck, and reported tingling and burning on their skin, as well as soreness of their throats. The troopers were in good condition at last report.

The second accident involved a mother and daughter around 7:30 a.m.

Police say the heavy rain kept the mother did not see traffic stopping for the first accident.

The daughter died and the mother was seriously injured. The mother and daughter were not wearing seat belts.

Kentucky State Police say it could be 7 p.m. before the tanker is off-loaded and cleared away.