Thanks to information provided by the community, The Illinois State Police have identified the vehicle and driver believed to be involved in the September 29, 2023, crash outside Teutopolis that resulted in five fatalities and multiple injuries.
“Thank you to the communities of Montrose and Teutopolis, and everyone who provided information to ISP,” said ISP Director Brendan F. Kelly. “The information we received from the community has been instrumental in identifying the vehicle and driver believed to be involved in this case.”
The identities of the five people killed:
Danny J. Smith, 67, from New Haven, Mo.
Vasile Cricovan, 31, from Twinsburg, Ohio
Kenneth Bryan, 34, from Teutopolis, Ill.
Rosie Bryan, 7, from Beecher City, Ill.
Walker Bryan, 10, from Beecher City, Ill.
Preliminary investigation shows all five victims died from exposure to the ammonia, the coroner’s office said.
On Friday, September 29th, ISP, the Effingham County Sheriff’s Office, Teutopolis Fire Protection District, and other local law enforcement, fire, and emergency services responded to a crash that occurred at 8:42 p.m. on 19740 East U.S. Highway 40. The crash involved a semi-truck tanker carrying 7,500 gallons of anhydrous ammonia, of which approximately 4,000 leaked due to the tank being punctured. Due to the plume from the ammonia leak, roughly 500 residents were evacuated from northeastern parts of Teutopolis until around 8 p.m. on Saturday, September 30, 2023, and U.S. Highway 40 was closed between Effingham and Montrose.
ISP continues to investigate and is consulting with the Effingham County State’s Attorney. No additional information is available at this time.
