Semi driver dead after crash, fire prompts I-94 closure between Casselton and West Fargo

FARGO, N.D. (Valley News Dwell) – (UPDATE) — The North Dakota Department of Transportation and North Dakota Highway Patrol reopened Interstate 94 westbound lanes from West Fargo to Casselton around 9:50 p.m. Wednesday.

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(Primary) — North Dakota Freeway Patrol states a small little bit right before 2:00 Wednesday afternoon, they took a get in touch with relating to a semi that was both stopped, or driving really slowly but surely in the correct eastbound lane of I-94 in the vicinity of Casselton. As of Wednesday night, officers nonetheless haven’t decided why the driver was stopped.

NDHP states soon right after the original connect with, they been given a different call that two semis collided, and have been entirely engulfed in flames. It took place at MM 336 Westbound, somewhere around 2 miles west of Mapleton. The Peterbilt semi approached the Volvo, swerved still left, but rear ended the tanker trailer getting towed by the Volvo. As a consequence of the collision, the Volvo semi was pushed onto the westbound shoulder and partly into the ditch and came to rest experiencing west.

The tanker trailer remaining towed by the Volvo was punctured and started to leak ethylene glycol from the puncture in the trailer. The Peterbilt caught hearth mainly because of the crash. The Peterbilt was hauling substantial HVAC tools. After the hearth was place out, it was discovered the driver of the Peterbilt, 72-yr-previous male from British Columbia, Canada, was nonetheless in the taxi and was deceased. His identify will be released Thursday.

The initial semi driver, 52-yr-previous Yuhai Zhu from Richmond Hill, ON, has nominal accidents. As much as rates towards him go, Freeway Patrol claims its an ongoing investigation.

“It is a tough scene for all the initially responders. Amount just one, you are dealing with a really, pretty violent crash that transpired concerning two very substantial motor vehicles,” NDHP Catp. Brian Niewind claimed. “There was a hearth that resulted and definitely, sad to say, one particular of those people drivers was not able to get out of that truck. It’s a incredibly disturbing scene. Of course then we have the hazmat incident likely on in the exact same site at the very same time. So, it is just a really, pretty tricky scene to go via.”

The Division of Transportation is functioning to clear up all of the de-icer and assess how badly the fire wrecked the street.

An approximated 6500-6700 gallons of ethylene glycol leaked from the tanker trailer into the north ditch along I-94. Ethyl glycol is environmentally friendly antifreeze and is not a hazard to the motoring public. An environmental enterprise is becoming dispatched to remediate the glycol spill.

Eastbound I-94 was closed for approximately an hour right after the crash. Westbound I-94 continues to be closed for the removing of the vehicles associated in the crash and will open when the motor vehicles are eliminated from the roadway. Site visitors was detoured from these roadways at Mapleton and Casselton to ND State Hwy. 10.

This crash continues to be beneath investigation by the North Dakota Highway Patrol. Adhere with Valley News Reside as we keep on to master more.

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