June 9, 2017 – Town of Wayne, WI – On June 9, 2017 at 12:07 p.m. the Washington County Sheriff’s Office was notified of two tractor/trailers that had collided on I41 southbound at Mohawk Road in the Town of Wayne.
Personnel from the Sheriff’s Office, Wisconsin State Patrol, and Kohlsville Fire Department responded to the scene. Upon their arrival, first responders located a damaged tractor/trailer stopped in the right lane and a second damaged tractor/trailer stopped in the far right emergency lane.
While both tractors sustained significant damage, neither operator was injury. The Washington County Highway Department also responded to the scene to assist with cleanup.
An on-scene investigation revealed the following: The lead southbound tractor/trailer, operated by a 60-year-old Green Bay man, had stopped in the right lane due to construction related back-ups.
The second southbound tractor/trailer, operated by a 29-year-old Chicago man, was unable to stop in time to avoid striking the lead tractor/trailer. The operator of the second tractor/trailer took evasive action by positioning his vehicle in the far right emergency lane. In the process of trying to rapidly stop in the emergency lane, the second tractor/trailer jackknifed and impacted the first tractor. No other vehicles were involved in the crash.
The matter remains under investigation by the Washington County Sheriff’s Office, but inattentive driving and driving too fast for conditions appear to be contributing factors.
As of this writing (3 p.m. ), the right lane (in the area of the crash) remains closed to facilitate clean-up operations.