A training video by the Illinois state police shows a trooper whom has been overcome by anhydrous ammonia fumes while responding to what he believed to be nothing more than a routine traffic accident.

For those of us with hazmat training (especially those in rural areas) we would likely take note of the distinctive vessel laying overturned in the far right portion of the screen. The vessel has the distinctive shape and look of an anhydrous ammonia nurse tank. Also, placards are evident and while they can't be clearly seen, they do appear to be green in color which would denote DOT hazard class 2.2 (nonflammable gas) though anhydrous ammonia is also corrosive and toxic.

There has been some debate as to if this video is that of a real-time event or the result of very good acting. Smart viewers whom have watched this video and did their homework noted the date of the video and searched through the memorials of Illinois state police and the national law enforcement memorial looking for a Illinois state trooper that may have died that day. I have performed this serach myself, and like everyone else I've found no evidence that any member of the Illinois state police died as a result of a HAZMAT incident or in any other violent act on that day.

However, the Illinois state police stands by their statement of the video being real which can only mean one of two things:

1. The video really is a staged work

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2. This incident really did happen and a state trooper of the Illinois state police (the one we see in the video) actually was harmed but was incredibly fortunate enough to have survived the incident.

Though I do wonder how that trooper was able to get so close to the tank for so long with out any visible signs of discomfort like complianing to the dispatcher his eyes were stinging or he was having trouble breathing (all signs of basic anhydrous ammonia toxicity).

Anywho, it's still a good training video for first responders, especially cops. This video can help cops from becoming canaries at HAZMAT incidents. Though I do have to admit, real or not, this video was still kinda eerie.