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At least one citation will be issued in connection with the tanker spill at Santori’s Corner in Hancock last month. Police Chief Wayne Butler presented preliminary findings at Wednesday’s City Council meeting, detailing two parallel investigations.
An interview with the driver revealed that he was going above the speed limit and Butler says that is the primary evidence leading to a ticket that will be written this week and delivered via mail. That finding confirms eyewitness reports from Rick Heinonen who owns The Tire Shop. Heinonen was at the meeting last night to express his gratitude for city workers in their efforts following the incident.
The company will also be sent a bill related to the cost of clean up, most of which is expected to be picked up by its insurer. The driver is also the owner of K and V Transport out of Superior, Wisconsin. He had been on this route before and was familiar with the area.
City Manager Mary Babcock said this is the sixth incident at Santori’s Corner in roughly 20 years and new signage is being looked at. MDOT will be consulted to potentially create a truck speed limit for the stretch of road matching the suggested cap of 15 miles per hour. Councilor Richard Freeman recommended that the city ask about whether yellow caution lights could be attached to any new signs to ensure drivers take those warnings seriously.
Houghton County Sheriff’s Department has been the lead agency determining the cause of the crash. They have a trained accident investigator on staff, and can more easily examine a scene of such magnitude. This particular scene proved difficult because the road was immediately covered with tons of dirt to act as a dam and prevent leaking fuel from escaping into the storm drain system. Then the pavement had to be replaced to allow the highway to reopen.
The Michigan State Police Motor Carrier Division was tasked with inspecting the condition of the truck and whether there were any grave deficiencies that should have kept it from being on the road. Their findings show some increased wear and tear, including a missing bolt, but nothing that would lead to a citation.
The Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy (EGLE) responded to a request for more information from Keweenaw Report with the following email by spokesman Nick Assendelft:
“EGLE’s post-spill role is to assure successful remediation of soil and groundwater that were contaminated by the spill. EGLE is anticipating receiving a work plan developed by an outside environmental consultant identifying the plan for continued clean-up efforts. The responsible party is expected to cover the costs of the remediation.
I would point out, too, that EGLE was just one of many local, state, federal and tribal agencies that responded to the spill. EGLE can’t speak to any further action that may be taken by any of the other responding agencies.”
It is unclear if any of those agencies intend to assess a fine or other punitive measure against K and V Transport due to the incident.
