A 17-year-old Ohio girl has made a shocking confession after a tanker truck accident in Illinois spilled a toxic chemical that killed five people.
In an interview with state troopers released by the National Transportation Safety Boardthe girl claimed she had “no idea” she was involved in the crash, saying: “Yes, totally my fault.”
The tanker was carrying a dangerous chemical, the corrosive anhydrous ammonia. The collision punctured the tank at 8:40 PM on September 29, 2023, leaking approximately half of its 7,500 gallon cargo.
Dashcam footage showed the terrifying moment the 17-year-old driver almost collided head-on with a truck approaching from across the road
In an attempt to allow the van to pass without crashing, the truck driver veered to the right and off the road into a ditch.
The Bryan family, Kenneth, 34, Walker, 10, and Rosie, 7, died at their home near the crash site. A GoFundMe was set up for mother and wife, Macy Bryan, which raised more than $46,000
The crash resulted in the deaths of five people, including 34-year-old father, Kenneth Bryan, and his two children, 7-year-old Rosie and 10-year-old Walker, at their nearby home.
Three people, who had stopped at the scene of the accident, were also hospitalized after being exposed to the chemical and 500 people were evacuated for hours after the accident.
CBS Chicago reported that the Effingham County coroner identified Bryan and his children, as well as the remaining two victims, Danny Smith, 67, and Vasile Cricovan, 31.
Dashcam footage showed the then 17-year-old driving the minivan her mother and brother were traveling in and passing the tanker truck on a two-lane US 40 in Illinois.
The footage then showed the terrifying moment the minibus almost collided head-on with another truck approaching from the opposite direction.
When asked if she had overtaken a vehicle in front of her, she said, “Well, I was going pretty fast. So I think, yeah, pretty scary. I couldn’t say anything for sure. It was dark. All I saw were headlights.”
The tanker driver, who survived, recognized the danger and drove to the right so the minibus could pass, but then veered into a ditch at the side of the road.
The girl claimed in her interview that she “had no idea” that the truck had turned around behind her, and that she “just happily continued on my way.”
After learning of the dashcam footage that revealed what caused the truck to veer off the road, she said: “I mean, you know what, I can totally see this being my fault…”
She added, “But now I really feel like it, right, because I actually killed five people. I mean, I don’t know what was going on with the truck driver, right? But it happened because I passed him, right? Is he shocked or something?’
17-year-old driver said she had ‘no idea’ she had caused the truck to crash off the road behind her
When the then 17-year-old heard that she had caused the crash, she said, “Yes. Oh, my god. Yep, totally my fault. Wow.’
Responders at the site included local police and fire departments, the Illinois Emergency Management Agency and the Office of Homeland Security, as well as the U.S. EPA.
She was then asked if she knew if that part of the road was a no-passing zone, and she said she always waits until she can pass at the right parts of the road.
The officers showed her the dashcam footage and said, “This Route 40. There’s a no-passing zone sign there. Do you see that?’
In acknowledgment of her mistake, she said, “Yes. Oh, my goodness. Yep, totally my fault. Wow.’
The officer offered to look at the footage again and she said, “No, you don’t have to. It was completely my fault…I honestly have had times in the past where I just didn’t use common sense when judging distances and I had enough time for something.’
The reports indicated that she needed contact lenses or glasses due to myopia and that she had an ophthalmologist appointment the day after the interview took place on October 4, 2023.
She added: “It doesn’t shock me, but the fallout from this is obviously no joke.”
The girl also admitted in the interview to running another driver off the road around North Carolina on a motorcycle.
The tanker was carrying a very dangerous chemical called caustic anhydrous ammonia
Upon impact, the tank was punctured, releasing about half of its 7,500 gallons
The driver said: ‘It doesn’t shock me, but the consequences of this are obviously no joke.’
CBS Chicago reported that in addition to the NTSB and Illinois State Police, the Illinois EPA, the Illinois Emergency Management Agency and Office of Homeland Security, the Illinois Department of Transportation, local police and fire departments, and the U.S. EPA all responded to the scene.
Effingham County Sheriff Paul Kuhns said at a news conference that emergency crews worked on the scene Saturday night, with a large plume of the leak flying into the air, DailyMail.com reported.
WICS reported that seven lawsuits were filed earlier this year against Prairieland Transport, the tanker truck driver and the then 17-year-old driver.
Of the six, four were said to have been filed on behalf of the dead and two on behalf of the injured.
The lawsuits range from allegations of negligence, wrongful death and wanton conduct, the newspaper reported.
In the interview she also said: ‘I killed five people and now I’, — yes, of course I would do that differently. Are you kidding?’
Fundraisers were set up for the families affected by the spill. Including one GoFundMe for Macy Bryan, who lost her husband and two children, raising more than $46,000.