Nov 10, 2007 6:26 am US/Eastern
Driver In W.Va Tractor Trailer Accident Identified
MORGANTOWN, W.Va. (KDKA/AP) ―
A shelter-in-place advisory has been lifted for residents in West Virginia after a tractor trailer overturned Friday morning spilling chemicals and forcing officials to close part of Interstate 68.
The accident was between Milepost 10 to Bruceton Mills in the Cheat Lake area near Morgantown.
KDKA's Harold Hayes reports that an official from the Monongalia County Sheriff's Department confirms that the driver was killed in the accident.
Authorities now identify him as 40-year-old Paul Staley, from New Martinsville, W.Va.
Officials say the tractor trailer overturned around 4 a.m.
Mike Wolfe, with Monongalia County Emergency Management, says the Department of Environmental Protection has determined that there is no health threat to residents.
Officials identify the chemical as toluene. Experts say toluene is a colorless liquid used in the making of paints, paint thinners, fingernail polish and other like products.
Officials tell KDKA that the chemical can be cause vapors that can be problematic for people with asthma if the chemical is exposed to water.
The cause of the accident is under investigation.
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