‘Totally my bad;’ Ohio teen admits to cutting off tanker that spilled chemical, killing 5 people

SPRINGFIELD, Ill. — An Ohio teen admitted to officials that she caused a tanker to go off the road when she passed it with the minivan she was driving.

[DOWNLOAD: Free WHIO-TV News app for alerts as news breaks]

On Sept. 29, 2023, a tanker truck in central Illinois jackknifed and spilled thousands of gallons of caustic anhydrous ammonia killing five people including two children, according to CBS Chicago.

About 500 people were evacuated for hours after the accident to spare them exposure to the hazardous plume from the chemical used by farmers to add nitrogen fertilizer to the soil and in large buildings as a refrigerant.

When state police questioned the teen days later, showing her dash camera footage from the truck, she admitted she cut off the tanker while trying to pass it.

TRENDING STORIES:

• Nearly 40 dogs, 2 cats, 5 donkeys removed from Ohio home; owner facing charges
• Ohio board of elections director arrested, accused of sexually abusing minor
• Richmond Toxic Fire: Cause ruled undetermined as state fire marshal’s investigation ends

“Oh, (expletive). Yeah. Oh, my goodness. Yep, totally my bad. Wow. Holy (expletive),” the girl said while watching the video.

The 17-year-old said her pass of the tanker began in a passing zone, although a no-passing sign appears in the video.

She said once she began passing, she realized she needed to accelerate to clear oncoming traffic and estimated she was going 90 mph when she pulled back to the right, narrowly slipping by an oncoming vehicle

Attempting to give the minivan space to get over, the tanker moved onto the shoulder, lost traction on gravel, and then hit a drainage culvert. The trailer’s hitch punctured the tank, spilling about half of the 7,500-gallon load.

The girl said that before the family’s return trip to Ohio, when her mother was reading aloud news accounts of the crash, she had no idea it had happened.

“Nobody said, ‘Oh, the guy behind you drove off the road,’ " the girl said to state police. “That would’ve been a huge deal for everybody. We would’ve been like, ‘Oh, (expletive), I just caused something really bad to happen,’ and then like our whole night would’ve been figuring out” what to do.

CBS Chicago reported the Effingham County Coroner identified the victims as: Danny Smith, 67, of New Haven, Missouri; Vasile Cricovan, 31, of Twinsburg, Ohio; Kenneth Bryan, 34, of Teutopolis, Illinois; Rosie Bryan, 7, of Beecher City, Illinois; and Walker Bryan, 10, of Beecher City, Illinois.

[SIGN UP: WHIO-TV Daily Headlines Newsletter]