Driver reported leak on chemical tanker minutes before fatal explosion, NTSB report shows

A truck driver reported a leak on his chemical tanker just twenty minutes before the truck explosion that killed him, a National Transportation Safety Board report shows. 

The explosion happened on Wednesday, April 8th outside of a beverage plant in Mooresville, North Carolina. 

According to WBTV, the truck driver arrived at the plant loaded with a delivery of sodium hydroxide, which is often used as an industrial cleaner. The driver got out of his truck and noticed a leak on the tanker, so he reported the leak to his company. Approximately 20 minutes later, the tanker truck exploded, killing the truck driver and injuring one other plant worker. 

The truck driver’s identity has not been released. The condition of the injured woman has also not been released. 

The NTSB is now investigating the incident to determine if the explosion and subsequent death could have been prevented. The agency expects to release preliminary findings about the accident within 30 days. 

“Normally in a situation like that if you spot something like that, you’d want to at least clear the area out. And try to call emergency services as soon as possible,” said Matthew Tatum, a local trucker who frequently hauls hazmat loads. “There’s a lot of people out here that don’t know what the dangers are of what we haul.”