A tanker truck rolled over on Elmhurst Road at the Jane Addams Tollway overpass Wednesday morning, leaking a chemical onto the roadway and shutting down the area to traffic much of the day.
Mark Welsh/mwelsh@dailyherald.com
All lanes of a stretch of Elmhurst Road in Des Plaines were blocked by emergency crews for nearly 12 hours Wednesday after a truck hauling a tank of a chemical rolled over.
The crash occurred about 7:40 a.m. on Elmhurst Road at the Jane Addams Tollway overpass. The truck cab rolled onto its roof, and the tank wound up on its side.
The road was reopened about 7:30 p.m.
Elmhurst Road was shut down between Landmeier Road and Oakton Street after the crash. The ramps between the tollway and Elmhurst Road also were closed to drivers.
The truck was hauling denatured alcohol, which leaked onto the roadway. The chemical often is used as a heating fuel in marine stoves and other appliances. It also can be used to clean glass and metal and for other purposes.
The public was not in danger, Des Plaines police said.
The cleanup continued into the afternoon. Crews also transferred the alcohol remaining in the damaged tank into another tank so it could be removed from the scene, Des Plaines Fire Chief Alan Wax said.
"Getting the truck uprighted is the next step," Wax said.
The driver, whose identity was not released, was trapped in his cab, and he had to be freed by firefighters.
He was taken to Advocate Lutheran General Hospital in Park Ridge with injuries that were not believed to be life-threatening.
The cause of the crash remains under investigation.
Elmhurst Road closed near I-90 after tanker truck overturns
A tanker truck rolled over on Elmhurst Road at the Jane Addams Tollway overpass Wednesday morning, leaking denatured alcohol onto the roadway and shutting down the area to traffic much of the day. The O'Hare airport and Des Plaines fire departments responded to help clean up the spill.
Mark Welsh/mwelsh@dailyherald.com
A tanker truck rolled over on Elmhurst Road at the Jane Addams Tollway overpass Wednesday morning, leaking a chemical onto the roadway and shutting down the area to traffic much of the day.
Mark Welsh/mwelsh@dailyherald.com
An aerial image of a rolled over tanker with fuel leaking on Elmhurst Road in Des Plaines early Wednesday.
Courtesy of ABC 7 Chicago
A tanker truck rolled over on Elmhurst Road at the Jane Addams Tollway overpass Wednesday morning, leaking a chemical onto the roadway and shutting down the area to traffic much of the day. The O'Hare Airport and Des Plaines fire departments responded to help clean up the spill.
Mark Welsh/mwelsh@dailyherald.com
A tanker truck rolled over on Elmhurst Road at the Jane Addams Tollway overpass Wednesday morning, leaking a chemical onto the roadway and shutting down the area to traffic much of the day.
Mark Welsh/mwelsh@dailyherald.com
A tanker truck rolled over on Elmhurst Road at the Jane Addams Tollway overpass Wednesday morning, leaking a chemical onto the roadway and shutting down the area to traffic much of the day. The O'Hare Airport and Des Plaines fire departments responded to help clean up the spill.
Mark Welsh/mwelsh@dailyherald.com
A tanker truck rolled over on Elmhurst Road at the Jane Addams Tollway overpass Wednesday morning, leaking a chemical onto the roadway and shutting down the area to traffic much of the day.
Mark Welsh/mwelsh@dailyherald.com