January 24, 2025
TEXAS — An 18-wheeler accident in San Jacinto County resulted in a sulfur dioxide (SO2) spill Friday morning, according to the San Jacinto County Office of Emergency Management.
The truck driver has died as a result of the crash. Twenty-nine students and the bus driver, having passed through the wreckage, received hospital treatment and have been released.
The total number of people exposed to the sulfur dioxide is unknown at this time.
Approximately 60-80 residences are sheltering in place close to where the crash occurred.
There’s no approximate timetable for residents to return home safely yet.
The San Jacinto County Office of Emergency Management advises those with eye, nose, throat or lung irritation from recent exposure in the area to seek immediate medical care.
According to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), “Short-term exposures to SO2 can harm the human respiratory system and make breathing difficult. People with asthma, particularly children, are sensitive to these effects of SO2.”
