An anhydrous ammonia leak on April 6 at a Nutrien Ag Solutions facility near Warren, Ind., has claimed the life of one man, according to local news reports.
Emergency response teams arrived at the site around 9:30 a.m. and found a large plume of ammonia coming from behind a building at the facility. Initial reports said one employee of the company was not accounted for. Investigators conducted a search and reportedly found 72-year-old Richard Clark of Ossian, Ind., dead near a double anhydrous ammonia “pony” trailer.
The Warren Volunteer Fire Department and Parkview Huntington Hospital EMS were first on the scene before investigators contacted the Indiana Department of Environmental Management (IDEM), according to local news reports.
An investigation into the cause of the leak is underway by the Indiana Department of OSHA. An autopsy report completed by the Northeast Indiana Forensic Center revealed that Clark died of asphyxia, due to anhydrous ammonia exposure. The death was ruled as an accident.