MARCH 7, 2015
EAST PALESTINE, OHIO
A Pennsylvania man was cited and taken to the St. Elizabeth
Hospital after the Wednesday crash that spilled about 150 gallons of diesel
fuel.
According to the highway patrol report released Friday,
Richard E. Atwood Jr., 45, Homestead, Pa., was northbound on state Route 170 in
Unity Township at 5:30 a.m. when he attempted to negotiate a curve to the right
and went off the road into a tree.
Atwood was driving a 2014 Freightliner for Candy Liberty
Co., of West Mifflin, Pa. Unsafe speed was listed as a contributing
circumstance to the crash. He was cited for failure to control and he and a
passenger, Justin R. Gerber, 22, McKeesport, Pa., were taken to St. Elizabeth
Hospital with non-life-threatening injuries.
The crash resulted in East Palestine police closing off a
portion of state Route 170 from Jimtown to Bye roads while local emergency
workers contained the spill, which did not pose any health risks.
The Columbiana County Local Emergency Planning Committee was
involved, and the Ohio Environmental Protection Agency was also notified, since
the spill involved more than 25 gallons, according to previous reports.