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CHILLICOTHE, IOWA -- A crash tied up traffic northwest of Ottumwa Wednesday morning.

According to the Iowa State Patrol, Robert Weirbach, 85, of Ottumwa, failed to yield the right of way and his car struck a semi driven by Dennis Esslinger, 58, of Bloomfield.

KTVO spoke with Assistant Chief Tim Richmond of the Wapello County Rural Fire Department after the accident.

“From what I know, a sedan collided with a semi at the intersection here of Eddyville Road and Highway 63. It is being investigated by the state patrol. We responded with two engines and were assisted by the Ottumwa Fire Department because we were dealing with some hazmat, being that some diesel spilled on the road. The Iowa Department of Transportation is here to help with that,” said Richmond. “The Wapello County Sheriff’s Office took care of the traffic and we are still mopping up.

Richmond says that the rural fire department just trained for hazmat situations like this recently.

“We work with area fire departments and the Southern Iowa Response Group, which is basted out of Ottumwa Fire. Actually we just completed some of that training last month,” Richmond said.

Authorities say that Robert and Phyllis Weirbach, 77, of Ottumwa, were taken to Ottumwa Regional Health Center for treatment of their injuries.

You can view the full accident report from the Iowa State Patrol here.

The raw video can be viewed here.