State Route 161 in Union County, Ohio, is expected to be open for Wednesday morning traffic following a tanker truck accident Tuesday that spilled an estimated 1,000 gallons of methanol, the Ohio Highway Patrol Post reported.
Donald Mills suffered non-life threatening injuries when his tanker truck overturned about 2:30 p.m. as he was attempting to traverse a traffic circle just west of U.S. 33 in Jerome Twp., according to the patrol. His truck continued off the right side of the road and hit a light pole.
Mills was taken to Grant Hospital in Columbus by Med-Flight, according to the patrol.
The tanker was loaded with about 8,000 gallons of methanol. Firefighters were able to seal the leak, but about 1,000 gallons had escaped. Several businesses in the area had to be evacuated as a precaution, according to the state patrol.
Methanol is also known as wood alcohol, wood naphtha or wood spirits one produced mainly as a byproduct of the distillation of wood. It is a light, colorless, volatile and flammable liquid. It is used as an antifreeze, solvent and fuel.
The Ohio EPA, Dublin police, Union County sheriff’s deputies and fire crews from Jerome Twp., Washington Twp. and Columbus assisted at the scene.
The crash remains under investigation, according to the patrol.