Police have identified the Oklahoma truck driver killed in an ammonia spill last night at CF Industries in Rosemount.
Robert Larry Shue, 31, of Kingfisher, Okla., died at the scene of the incident, according to the Rosemount Police Department.
Another driver, Roy Thomas Taylor, 56, of Moore, Okla., was decontaminated on scene before being airlifted by North Air Care to Regions Hospital in St. Paul where he remains in critical condition.
The release occurred approximately 6 p.m. at CF Industries semi-tanker loading area on Rosemounts industrial eastside near the intersection of Highways 55 and 52.
Two truck drivers were loading their tankers with anhydrous ammonia, a liquid fertilizer, when it appears one noticed a connection problem. When the driver attempted to correct the problem, the connection broke resulting in the ammonia release. An emergency shut-off system shut down the loading system, police said.
Rosemount Police Officer Scott Sandell and Dakota County Sheriffs Deputy Matt Schuster were the first to arrive. Sandell and Schuster, along with another tanker driver, pulled Taylor about 35 feet so he could be treated. Both officers were evaluated for ammonia exposure at Regions Hospital and returned to work today.
There was no impact from the ammonia outside the CF Industries facility, according to police.
The cause of the hazardous materials release is still under investigation by the Minnesota branch of the Occupational Safety and Health Administration, which was on scene today.
CF Industries personnel are cooperating with officials and have begun a full investigation, according to a release from the Deerfield, Ill.-based company.
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