Truck Crashes While Transporting 40,000 Pounds of Toxic Soil from East Palestine, Ohio

A drone image of the Norfolk Southern cargo train derailment near East Palestine, OhioPhoto: Gene J. Puskar (AP)

When trucks crash, it isn’t fun for the people who get delayed by the truck blocking the road, and it certainly isn’t fun for the driver who has to deal with the fact that they made a terrible mistake. But at least if the truck in question is carrying an interesting payload, it can be an interesting story to read about. Say, for example, Bud Light, potatoes, tomatoes or eggs. A truck spilling toxic, contaminated soil, on the other hand, is decidedly not fun.

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CBS News reports that a truck carrying 40,000 lbs of toxic soil from East Palestine, Ohio crashed on Monday, spilling at least half its load onto the highway. The wreck took place Monday afternoon in Columbiana County, Ohio, but the good news is, the Ohio EPA reportedly claims “the spill was contained and is not a threat to nearby waterways.”

The 74-year-old driver was “cited for operating a vehicle without reasonable control” after driving off the road, hitting a ditch and utility pole and turning the truck over on its side, spilling toxic soil from his open-top truck all over the road. Local residents were initially told to evacuate over fears that the polyvinyl chloride and other toxins that were in the soil could cause an explosion.

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If you’re not familiar with the issues East Palestine, Ohio is still facing, back in February, a Norfolk Southern train derailed while carrying a load of hazardous chemicals. Residents of the town were ordered to evacuate, and so far, the efforts to clean up the spill haven’t exactly been going great. Norfolk Southern has reportedly already removed 20,000 tons of toxic soil, but the Ohio Emergency Management Agency says it still has to remove at least another 17,000 tons.