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On Monday, a vehicle that was in charge of transporting 40,000 pounds of toxic dirt from East Palestine, Ohio, where a hazardous material-laden train derailed in February, overturned. According to the Ohio Environmental Protection Agency, around half of the toxic soil aboard the truck spilled onto the highway. 

On Monday, shortly after noon local time in Columbiana County, the collision involved a tractor-trailer with an open top that was moving north along SR-165. The 74-year-old driver of the car, Phillip Falck, reportedly drove off the right side of the road, crashed into a ditch and a utility pole, and then overturned, according to the Ohio State Highway Patrol. The truck was “on its side, off of the right side of the roadway” when police arrived at the scene. 

About 20,000 pounds of the toxic soil that was onboard the truck spilled out, or about half of it. The spill was contained and did not pose a hazard to adjacent waterways, according to the Ohio EPA and the local fire department.

Falck was “cited for operating a vehicle without reasonable control,” the highway patrol said. The soil in the truck came from the location in East Palestine where a Norfolk Southern train derailed on February 3 while hauling a variety of hazardous materials. On account of worries that the polyvinyl chloride on board as well as other compounds could potentially produce an explosion, the locals were briefly asked to evacuate. 

Numerous fish were killed as a result of toxins escaping into the environment as a result of the spill. By the end of the month, Norfolk Southern reported that “substantial contamination” in the site’s soil and water had been eliminated, though this procedure is still ongoing.

The Ohio Emergency Management Agency estimates that more than 17,000 tons of soil still need to be removed from the site, despite the train operator reporting that as of April 10, around 20,000 tons of waste soil had been removed from that location. 

The temporary health assessment clinic that was established following the derailment was replaced with a new, permanent clinic in East Palestine on the same day as the truck accident. 

Ohio Governor Mike DeWine said in a statement that the opening of the East Liverpool City Hospital East Palestine Clinic “represents our continued commitment to this community.” “We are aware that the residents of East Palestine require ongoing assistance and that they should have access to another primary care facility nearby. That is what this new clinic will offer.

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