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Akron-Peninsula Road closed after sulfuric acid spills in crash early Friday
By Bill Lilley
Beacon Journal staff writer
Published on Saturday, Dec 27, 2008
A tanker truck carrying 3,000 gallons of sulfuric acid crashed into a gully Friday morning along Akron-Peninsula Road, killing the driver and shutting down the Akron road all day.
Authorities, including the Ohio Environmental Protection Agency, spent the day securing the area, cleaning up a 50-gallon spill, siphoning off the remaining acid into a new tanker and hauling away the damaged vehicle.
Why — and exactly when — the accident occurred remained a mystery.
The truck, owned by M.C. Tank Transport in suburban Cincinnati, was making a delivery to the city composting facility on Riverview Road. But the driver apparently was unable to make a 90-degree turn from West Steels Corners Road onto Akron-Peninsula Road, authorities said.
The truck was less than a mile
from its destination.
Cuyahoga Falls police noticed the truck in the gully around 7:21 a.m.
''There were no skid marks,'' Akron spokesman Mark Williamson said. ''It didn't appear that he [the driver] ever tried to stop. The cab was pancaked and the driver was killed, probably immediately.
''The good news in this bad situation was that only about 50 gallons of sulfuric acid leaked out. And because of the weather being so cold, the sulfuric acid was sleepy, not volatile.''
Since the crash ''happened in a fairly remote area with very few homes,'' authorities did not have to evacuate a large number of homes, Williamson said. The intersection is along the Akron and Cuyahoga Falls border.
The driver was identified as Shawn Flynn, 44, of Canonsburg, Pa., near Pittsburgh.
The driver's body remained in the vehicle until about 4 p.m., when authorities determined it was safe for workers to go into the gully and remove him.
Akron-Peninsula Road reopened around 8:30 p.m.
The city uses sulfuric acid to balance the pH factor at the composting facility, Williamson said. The acid that leaked from the half-filled tanker did not spread from the crash site, he said.
The EPA brought chemicals to neutralize the acid, and environmental workers removed contaminated soil, Akron police Lt. Rick Edwards said.
Bill Lilley can be reached at 330-996-3811 or blilley@thebeaconjournal.com.
A tanker truck carrying 3,000 gallons of sulfuric acid crashed into a gully Friday morning along Akron-Peninsula Road, killing the driver and shutting down the Akron road all day.
Get the full article here.
Comments
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barberton, oh
Posted 07:40 AM, 12/27/2008
That is one steep grade. I drive a Ready Mix Concrete Mixer, and with 9 yards of concrete your brakes better be good. We lost 2 trucks to that hill, so far ?? I've seen garbage trucks in the same place as that tanker. He didn't have skid marks because his breaks were out of adjustment, believe me, he was pressing and hard. HE WON'T BE THE LAST one to crash into those woods....
Canonsburg, PA
Posted 12:05 PM, 12/27/2008
I have known the driver of the truck--Shawn Flynn--for many years. We are members of the same church. Shawn was a member of the Canonsburg United Presbyterian Church Choir as well as worked diligently to have service recordings available for church members. Shawn and his wife Diane are wonderful people and would do anything for you. I ask all who make comments to this story to consider the family's feelings. Shawn was by no means an alcoholic nor a drug user. He was the type of person to be the first one to help you. Shawn was a very caring and loving Christian.
Posted 06:27 PM, 12/27/2008
Thanks student Pastor. Shawn sounds like he was a great guy. Very sorry to you and his family and other friends...
akron, oh
Posted 07:45 PM, 12/27/2008
So sorry for your loss. That is a steep hill...
washington, pa
Posted 06:00 PM, 12/28/2008
my brother adrian and i have known shawn our entire lives. he was a dearest friend.. we will miss him..he was a good man who always was there for his family and friends.. my prayers go out to his wife ,sisters ,neices and nephews.. i will make this very clear.. there is no doubt in our minds that shawn was sober and in a clear state of mind. we(my brother and i) ask that you please be respectful to his family and frinds... shawn we love and will miss you.
deb & adrian fletcher
