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Wednesday, Nov. 11, 2009
| Comments (0) |56-year-old man critical after HAZMAT scare at Smithton car wash
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closeA 56-year-old Millstadt man is in critical condition at St. Louis University Hospital after a chemical scare at a car wash in Smithton Wednesday morning.
But police aren't sure whether Stephen Galle's fainting at the Wash 'n Go on Illinois 159 was a result of a chemical reaction or related to an underlying medical condition.
Smithton Police Chief Brian Vielweber said Galle was washing out the bed of his pickup truck, where earlier at home he had been cleaning metal parts, when he passed out in the bay at the car wash.
Vielweber said the St. Clair Special Emergency Services' HAZMAT team, which responded along with Smithton police and firefighters, at first assumed the cleaning agent Galle had used at home combined with washing chemicals at the car wash caused him to faint. Responders had noticed an acidic odor when they arrived at the scene after the 9:45 a.m. call for help. An employee at the car wash and near the truck didn't react to the chemicals, and Vielweber said he didn't think anyone else was at the business when Galle passed out.
No roads were closed during the incident, but the business was closed off until just after noon.
Contact reporter Laura Girresch at lgirresch@bnd.com or 239-2507.
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