5 died of exposure to chemical in central Illinois crash, preliminary autopsies find

By JOHN O’CONNOR
Associated Press

SPRINGFIELD, Ill. (AP) — Five people who were killed in a central Illinois crash involving a semitruck carrying anhydrous ammonia died from exposure to the caustic chemical, according to preliminary autopsies. The Effingham County Coroner Kim Rhodes on Monday completed autopsies of the victims of the accident in Teutopolis that released thousands of gallons of the farm fertilizer. The victims were 34-year-old Kenneth Bryan of Teutopolis and his children, ages 10 and 7, 67-year-old Danny J. Smith of New Haven, Missouri, and 31-year-old Vasile Cricovan of Twinsburg, Ohio. The National Transportation Safety Board reported Sunday that it appears the crash occurred when another vehicle tried to pass the tanker and the tanker veered off and overturned.