1 dead after tanker crash catches fire in Nappanee

Lina PortmanMay 25, 2024

0 1 minute read

NAPPANEE, Ind. (WNDU) – One person is dead after Indiana State Police say a tanker truck crashed and caught fire in Nappanee Friday afternoon.

Officers with the Nappanee Police Department were called around 12:55 a.m. to a single-vehicle rollover crash on Tomahawk Trail near ATC Trailers, just north of US-6.

Investigators say a tanker truck was heading south on Tomahawk when it apparently lost control and left the road. When the truck returned to the roadway, it rolled onto its right side and continued to slide south.

As the truck slid, police said it caught fire and spun around before coming to rest in the northbound lane of Tomahawk.

“I was about two miles away and I saw a big cloud of smoke,” a witness told WNDU. “I wasn't exactly sure what it was, but I knew it wasn't good. Something bad happened, that's all I can say. I knew it wasn't normal, it wasn't your normal fire. It was more of a large cloud of black smoke. So, I knew it wasn't good.

Viewers sent us photos and videos showing flames shooting out of the truck and wisps of smoke filling the air.

The driver of the truck was pronounced dead at the scene. Authorities will not identify the driver until an autopsy is completed.

An official with the Yoder Oil Company, based in Nappanee, confirmed to WNDU that it was indeed one of their tankers.

“Send your prayers,” the official told us as the investigation into the accident is still underway.

Firefighters from Nappanee, Bremen and Elkhart all helped bring the large fire under control. The Indiana Department of Environmental Management (IDEM) also responded due to the truck's cargo of flammable materials.

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