LAGRANGE COUNTY, IN – A Northern Indiana toll road was closed for several hours after a rollover crash in which a semi-truck driver was killed, and hazardous material spilled onto the roadway.
According to trooper Nikolos Anderson of the Indiana State Police, 35-year-old Omar Pleasont, of Portage, Indiana was killed in the crash which occurred just south of the Michigan border on eastbound I-80 in LaGrange County at 8:30 p.m. on Thursday.
Pleasont’s 2020 Freightliner semi-tractor was carrying a bulk liquid tanker when it left the roadway and hit the center median, causing the semi-tractor and tanker to rollover.
The semi-tractor ended up on it’s top in the right eastbound lane and the tanker came to rest in the median where it began leaking hazardous material later identified as hydrochloric acid.
Police found Pleasont trapped inside the cab and he was pronounced dead at the scene, police said.
Due to the nature of the chemical spill hazard for hydrochloric acid, the immediate area was evacuated until the hazardous material could cleaned up. This led to both eastbound and westbound lanes of traffic being closed to through traffic.
The evacuation process and chemical spill response was coordinated by the LaGrange County Fire Department, Response Management Services (RMS), and the LaGrange County Emergency Management (EMA).
Once the area was safe for first responders, Pleasont’s body was removed from the wreckage. The overall cleanup effort continued until approximately 3 a.m., at which time traffic was opened back up in both directions.
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