Dump truck lightning strike may have contributed to Appleton I-41 jackknifed semi accident

FOX VALLEY AREA REGIONAL NEWS: Calumet County, Fond du Lac County, Outagamie County, Winnebago County

APPLETON, Wis. (WFRV) – An accident on I-41 in the Appleton area had traffic at a near standstill Wednesday morning.

According to Wisconsin State Patrol, southbound traffic on I-41 was slowed due to heavy rains as well as an incident in the northbound lane that many passing drivers were taking note of.

As a semi was approaching the slowing southbound traffic he tried to move into the median to avoid hitting the vehicles in front of him. It was then the semi jackknifed across the southbound lanes into the right ditch.

The 27-year-old semi driver hit a pickup truck driven by 65-year-old man; no injuries have been reported.

State Patrol says the incident in the northbound lane that caught the attention of southbound drivers was a stalled dump truck that could have been struck by lightning.

Officers say the driver of the dump truck lost power after either being struck by lightning or a strike occurring in the very near vicinity. The driver told officers he saw a very bright light just before losing power.

A screenshot from a Wisconsin DOT camera shows the semi-trailer perpendicular to the flow of highway traffic.

According to WisDOT, the right southbound lane at mile marker 143, or Ballard Road, was closed as crews addressed the accident around 10:43 a.m.

Copyright 2019 Nexstar Broadcasting, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

At Auto Clinic of Green Bay, vehicles damaged by floodwaters have been coming in more and more frequently.

Tasha Senft, an Auto Tech, remembers one car in particular that was brought in during March’s historic flooding.

GREEN BAY, Wis. (WFRV) It’s been 18 years since the World Trade Center towers fell in the terror attacks of 9/11, ending so many lives. Wednesday Green Bay West High School students gathered for their annual tribute to slain first responders.

Inside Green Bay West High School students like Alex Knutson climb gym bleachers to honor the ultimate sacrifice 343 firefighters and other emergency responders made, after rushing to the World Trade Center towers to help on 9/11.

GREEN BAY, Wis. (WFRV) – Former Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker achieved the rank of Eagle Scout long before becoming interested in politics.

On Wednesday September 10, the Boy Scouts of America, Bay-Lakes Council honored him in its Green Bay area Golden Eagle Dinner.


Post time: Sep-12-2019
WhatsApp Online Chat !