Hazardous Materials on Interstate Highways
(August 8, 2022) A semi-trailer hauling a flammable liquid caused Interstate 10 East to close for twenty hours after an accident that resulted in the hazardous liquid being spilled in the roadway, according to San Antonio Express-News. Police did not say what caused the accident on Sunday, August 7, 2022, only that the portion of the Interstate would be closed to clean up the spill. The Interstate reopened today at 4 p.m., but the access road between Pfeil Road and FM 1518 has remained closed. No injuries have been reported from the accident.
Did you know?
Traffic hauling hazardous materials across the United States exceeded 800,000 shipments per day, resulting in 3.1 billion tons of hazardous materials annually, according to a Federal Highway Administration report.
Hazardous Material Accident Statistics
The most common types of hazardous materials transported on the highway are flammable liquid, accounting for 56.8 percent, gas accounting for 17.9 percent, and corrosive substances accounting for 12.28 percent of all hazardous materials transported.
According to the Bureau of Transportation, there were one hundred and thirty-one total injured persons due to hazardous materials in 2020. Of that number, one hundred and twenty-one were injured by hazardous materials on the highway due to accidents. In 2019, there were one-hundred and eighty-two persons injured due to hazardous materials, one hundred and sixty-five of which were injured in highway accidents. Total fatalities from hazardous material accidents were three in 2020 and seven in 2019.
Please follow this link to view the Hazardous Materials Fatalities, Injuries, Accidents, and Property Damage Data.
What Kind of Injuries Can Hazardous Materials Cause?
The environmental protection agency (EPA) lists some of the milder injuries of hazardous material exposure as skin or eye irritation, nausea, headaches, and difficulty breathing. However, exposure to hazardous materials can lead to more severe injuries, including:
behavioral abnormalities,
cancer,
genetic mutations,
physiological malfunctions (e.g., reproductive impairment, kidney failure, etc.),
physical deformations, and
birth defects.
Legal Implications of HAZMAT Accidents
Although, as previously stated, most hazardous material accidents happen on highways, the dangers associated with the accidents are limited to the area of the accident. In fact, depending on the type of material, people who live miles away from the accident could be injured. For example, gas can spread for miles and be inhaled, leading to injury, and water or soil near the accident could remain unusable for a long time depending on the type of hazardous material.
Usually, injuries from auto accidents are immediately apparent. However, injuries resulting from HAZMAT may take considerable time to become known to the injured party. If you or a family was exposed to a hazardous substance in an auto accident, you have the right for your general health to be closely monitored until the risk of the exposure has passed or been reduced to an acceptable level. The companies transporting the materials may try to pressure you into a settlement agreement that is far below the true value of your case. That is why securing the help of a personal injury attorney with years of experience dealing with HAZMAT cases is essential to protecting your or your family’s rights.
Have you been injured or exposed to hazardous materials in an auto accident in San Antonio?
The law office of Carabin Shaw has thirty years of experience representing those injured by hazardous materials in San Antonio. Contact our firm today at 800-862-1260.