Batesville, Mississippi Police asked some residents to evacuate Thursday following a crash involving an 18-wheeler carrying hazardous materials. The truck driver was badly burned and two officers injured when there was an explosion.
I-55 between mile marker 237 and 243 in Batesville was shut down for hours after an 18-wheeler fell on its side and went into flames around 9:00 a.m. Thursday.
The truck driver and two Batesville people were hurt, and it led to an active hazmat situation because the truck carried chemicals.
Law enforcement rerouted drivers on southbound I-55 to get off at exit 243 and use Highway 51 as an alternate.
The Batesville Police Chief said a truck believed to be carrying sulfur fell on its side on I-55 near Pine Lodge Road and caught fire. The chief said two Batesville police officers, no doubt heroes, ran through a wall of smoke to get the truck driver out. Paramedics airlifted that injured driver to the regional One Burn Center in Memphis.
The Batesville Police Chief said the officers were alert and expected to be okay but will be monitored in the ICU at Oxford Baptist overnight as a precaution.
Because burning sulfur can be dangerous when breathed in, some in Batesville in the immediate area were evacuated as a precaution.
