Fond du Lac, Wisc.-Thousands of gallons of liquid nitrogen were spread over the highway April 10 in a bizarre collision of three semi-trucks at an intersection near here that killed two drivers and left investigators puzzling over why it happened in the first place. The Fond du Lac Sheriff’s office has figured out that the tanker, with approximately 3,000 gallons of fertilizer, stopped to allow a semi in the opposite direction to pass before turning off the highway. An oncoming empty flatbed rear-ended the fertilizer tanker, pushing it into the opposite lane, where it was struck by the other semi loaded with paper products. The fertilizer tanker driver was treated and released from a nearby hospital, but the other two died later of injuries. The sheriff’s spokesman, Sgt. Ryan Waldschmidt, reported in a news release that the Fond du Lac HAZMAT team was hampered by hazardous conditions caused by the mixture of nitrogen, oil, diesel fuel, and antifreeze, which slowed removal of the drivers and caused evacuation of three area residents. At one point it was feared the oil and fertilizer could cause an explosion. Highway traffic was rerouted around the accident scene from afternoon until early the next morning.
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