• 14
  • February
    2012

Thirty-five homes in a southeastern Colorado town of 700 had to be evacuated last week following a truck trailer spill. A 500-gallon tank of fertilizer of anhydrous ammonia-based fertilizer fell from the trailer and leaked. Anhydrous ammonia is extremely poisonous. If it is inhaled, it can be deadly.

The truck accident occurred on a truck route that passes through Walsh, Colorado. Commercial vehicles, including large trucks, often use this route to get through town. The pickup truck in this incident was pulling the trailer that carried the two tanks of fertilizer containing the poisonous gas. The truck's axle broke, and caused the tanks to slide off the trailer. When the tanks fell to the ground, one of the tanks fell directly onto its top. A valve broke from the tank, sending a plume of toxin toward the town of Walsh, Colorado.

No one was injured, and the evacuation order was lifted after about four hours, allowing people to return to their homes.

It was not reported what might have caused the axle to break. Truck accidents have many causes, including unsafe driving, oversized loads, inadequate safety practices and poor truck maintenance. And, trucking accidents can be extremely complex, because there are many levels of ownership, insurance and responsibility involved in the trucking industry. Sometimes the driver is at fault. Sometimes the policies of an employer or the shipper are to blame. Poor roads can also contribute.

An attorney experienced in litigating trucking accident cases can usually provide a comprehensive analysis of possible grounds for legal action when a trucking accident causes injury.

Source: Reuters, "Colorado fertilizer spill forces evacuation of homes," Keith Coffman, Feb. 8, 2012