KANSAS CITY’S MORNING RUSH HOUR WENT INTO GRIDLOCK on Monday when a chemical tanker carrying 45,000 lbs. of hydrochloric acid flipped and started leaking on a freeway in the city.
Fire officials say the cloud mainly threatened a nearby casino, which was asked to shut down its air handling units and keep employees and customers inside. The truck driver was taken to an area hospital with injuries. Two police officers were taken to a hospital after complaining of skin and throat irritation. KCTV Ch. 5 has some good helicopter footage of the noxious cloud:
The Missouri Department of Natural Resources said about 250 pounds of acid leaked out before the spill was contained and none had gotten into the nearby Missouri River. The truck is operated by Basic Chemical Corporation out of Wichita, Kansas,and the remaining product was transferred to another tanker in a several-hour operation and was safely removed. David Bryan of the Environmental Protection Agency says they conducted air-quality tests and found no traces of the acid outside the immediate area of the crash.
Kansas City Fire Chief Smokey Dyer told KCTV:
The main spill came from a hose that was ripped from the tanker when the truck overturned, Dyer said.The driver of the truck was pulled from the cab and transported to an area hospital, but was alert and responsive. Dyer said the driver was overcome by fumes from the acid leak.
Kansas City fire officials spoke to the driver by phone as he was transported to the hospital to determine how much he was carrying and other information about his load. Dyer commended responders to the spill for their response, saying their work was even better than a drill.
Sources:
Kansas City Star
VERTEX news
CBS News
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