Several Injured in I-41 Crash Saturday Afternoon

Several people were injured as a result of a chain reaction
crash involving five passenger vehicles and a semi-truck that happened on
Interstate 41 near Townline Road in the Town of Eldorado Saturday afternoon.


A news release from the Fond du Lac County Sheriff’s Office
says the Wisconsin State Patrol was making a traffic stop on I-41 southbound,
north of Townline Road just before 4:30 pm. At that time, traffic was merging
from the slow lane to the fast lane because of the stopped law enforcement
vehicles, causing traffic to slow down almost to a stop. A semi that was
merging lanes was unable to stop, hitting a vehicle directly in front of it. Due
to the slow traffic, a chain reaction crash happened involving several vehicles.


The Sheriff’s Department says the first vehicle that was
hit by the semi hit another vehicle in front of them and became stuck in the
guidewire on the median. A 35-year-old man from Oshkosh driving that vehicle
was airlifted to ThedaCare Regional Medical Center in Neenah with serious
injuries. A 34-year-old woman from Oshkosh was the passenger – she was taken by
ambulance to ThedaCare in Neenah with serious injuries.


Another vehicle that was hit overturned onto its roof in
the median. A 35-year-old man from Oshkosh and a 36-year-old woman from Oshkosh
were transported by ambulance to Aurora-Medical Center in Oshkosh for treatment
of minor injuries.


A third vehicle also overturned onto its roof and came to
rest in the southbound lanes. A 63-year-old man from Kewaskum and a 7-year-old
boy from Kewaskum in that car were taken by ambulance to Mercy Medical Center
in Oshkosh with minor injuries.


The semi-truck driver – a 53-year-old man from Green Bay
was not injured. A fifth vehicle was able to avoid the crash but did drive off
the road into the ditch. The sheriff’s office says all others involved were not
injured, and everyone inside the vehicles was wearing seatbelts.


Both lanes of I-41 southbound and one northbound lane of
the interstate were closed for two hours as a result of the crash. The crash
remains under investigation by the Fond du Lac County Sheriff’s Office.


Multiple agencies – including the Wisconsin State Patrol,
City of Fond du Lac Police Department, Eldorado Fire Department, Eldorado First
Responders, North Fond du Lac Fire Department & Ambulance, City of Fond du
Lac Ambulance and City of Oshkosh Ambulance, along with the Fond du Lac County
Highway Department and ThedaStar Helicopter assisted at the scene.