VIDALIA, La. &045; Louisiana State Police and Concordia Parish sheriff’s deputies rerouted traffic for several hours Thursday after an accident on U.S. 84 North involving an automobile and tractor-trailer carrying liquid nitrate fertilizer.

Louisiana State Police said the accident occurred at 11:50 a.m. when a 2003 freightliner driven by Douglas Seamans, 44, of Oak Grove, La., for Monticello Gin and Elevator, ran into the back of a 2003 Mercury Grand Marquis, driven by Amanda Dell, 73, of Sicily Island, while traveling north on U.S. 84 near Ridgecrest.

The impact made Seamans lose control of the tractor-trailer, causing it to leave the highway and roll over into a nearby field, separating the tractor and trailer, state police said.

The car driven by Dell remained in the left lane of the highway after impact, state police said.

Because of fertilizer spilled from the trailer, due to the accident, Department of Environmental Quality and Hazardous Materials workers were called to the scene to examine the harm, if any, the spill would cause the environment, state police said.

Seamans was taken to Riverland Medical Center’s emergency room and later airlifted to the LSU Trauma Center in Shreveport, where he was reported to be in critical condition.

Dell was reported to be unhurt in the accident, state police said.