APRIL 15, 2015
INDIANAPOLIS, INDIANA
A corrosive chemical spill and a two-hour traffic jam
Wednesday morning on I-65 was due to a distracted truck driver who was
"messing with his radio," police said.
A 35-year-old man was driving a semi truck when it drifted
off the road on I-65 and struck an abandoned car around 5:30 a.m. near 38th
Street on the Westside, a press release from the Indiana State Police said.
The car was tagged and ready to be towed away. Police
believe the impact caused the semi to catch fire. The truck traveled 100 yards,
while on fire, before it came to a stop. The driver was able to escape and
was said to be OK. At this point, it’s unclear why the driver hit the car.
24-Hour News 8 crews at the scene described the semi as melted and charred.
The truck, carrying 17,000 pounds of the corrosive material
Potassium Hydroxide, quickly burst into flames near the 119 mile marker, police
said.
Firefighters and Hazmat crews battled the fire, which shut
down the southbound lanes of I-65 for several hours during a busy morning
commute.
Eventually, police reopened one lane around 8 a.m., allowing
traffic to crawl through.
The Indiana Department of Health is helping with the
cleanup.
Police warn drivers that lanes will be restricted throughout
the day while crews continue to clean up the area.
According to a spokesman for the Wayne Township Fire
Department, officials evaluated whether or not there was a potential hazard
with the chemical. The hazmat team deployed absorbent booms to prevent runoff
as crews put water on the fire.
Nearby Marian University was alerted to the incident. Crews
told everyone to stay in place, though there was no major danger from the
chemical or fire.
Source:foxnews.com