Responders Issue in New Year Rescuing Travelers and Blocking Fuel Spill

[January 02, 2008]  Steve Siltman from the Logan County Paramedic Association said that they were busy beginning during the hours that the weather turned bad, but not out of the ordinary. He said that on New Year's Eve they were called out on 24 calls, but most people refused treatment when they got there. Only nine patients were transported. There were only 14 calls on New Year's Day. Only minor injuries were reported for both days.

Two rollovers were reported in Logan County. One was at 11:20 p.m. on New Year's Eve at 600 N. Grove, Middletown. A 21-year-old female from Jacksonville and a 17-year-old male from Chicago were transported to St. John's Hospital in Springfield. The female was a back-seat passenger. Further details on that incident were unavailable Wednesday morning.

Mount Pulaski Rescue attended the other rollover, which occurred about a half-mile north of Mount Pulaski on Route 121. Fire Chief John Aylesworth said that incident occurred at about 1:30 p.m. on New Year's Day. The driver refused treatment when the paramedics arrived.

Fuel spill

Logan County Emergency Management Agency director Dan Fulscher reported that a truck jackknifed, spilling 200 gallons of diesel fuel. A large number of law enforcement officers, road crews and specialized hazmat teams were called out on New Year's Eve to aid in traffic control and cleanup.  

The incident occurred northwest of Lincoln at the 126 mile marker on Interstate 55. The call came about 11:30 p.m. The truck blocked all three lanes. Additional help from the state of Illinois was called to assist in redirecting traffic through Lincoln, and cleanup crews worked through the night.

Hazmat teams from Lincoln Fire Department and Lincoln Rural Fire Department were first on scene for the cleanup. The firefighters worked together to contain the spill, which had flowed into the median. They created a dike protecting nearby waterways and stopped the fuel several feet before it entered drainage grates.

The Illinois EPA was called.

The trucking firm, MVT Service Inc., sent their hazmat team to assist in the cleanup. On New Year's Day they were able to reclaim 150 gallons when the reservoir was pumped off. The remaining 50 gallons is scheduled to be removed next week by excavating the soil.

[By ]