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  • Chemical clean-up workers look from the side of W.Va. 16 into Laurel Creek where early Wednesday a truck hauling chemicals tore through the guardrail and landed in the creek. F. BRIAN FERGUSON/THE REGISTER-HERALD

    Truck accident
August 26, 2010

Truck hauling explosives crashes

By Andrea Lannom Register-Herald Reporter

An ammonium nitrate/fuel oil truck hauling around 18,000 pounds of explosive materials plunged into a creek following a collision with another large truck Wednesday morning in Fayette County, causing W.Va. 16 in the Cotton Hill area to be shut down for hours.

Although there was spillage of the materials, authorities said, the scene was cleared and there was no danger to traffic, surrounding communities or the water supply.

The accident occurred around 6:58 a.m. when the AN/FO truck, driven by Eric Blankebecker, 34, of Beckley, collided with a truck hauling a loaded trailer and driven by Todd Jones of Maysel, Fayette Sheriff Steve Kessler said.

The AN/FO truck went through the guardrail and landed 100 feet below on its top in Laurel Creek, leaving the driver trapped. The other truck, meanwhile, spilled its load of trusses on the roadway.

When responders arrived, Blankebecker was found suspended in his seatbelt and was extricated from the vehicle. A rope rescue team then safely raised him to the top.

Authorities said the driver sustained cuts and abrasions but no major injuries. He was transported to Plateau Medical Center in Oak Hill and later released. The other driver was not injured.

Kessler said W.Va. 16 in the Cotton Hill area was completely closed for several hours during the clean-up. As of mid-afternoon, one lane had reopened.

The accident is under investigation by the sheriff’s office and State Police, Kessler said.

The Fayette rope rescue team, consisting of members from the Ansted, Fayetteville and Oak Hill fire departments, the state Department of Environmental Protection, Evergreen Environmental Management and Dyno Noble responded to the accident scene.

AN/FO is a widely used explosive mixture. It is by far the most widely used explosive in coal mining, quarrying, metal mining and civil construction.

— E-mail: alannom@register-herald.com

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