Semi Carrying 40,000 Pounds Of Corn Shuts Down Wisconsin Interstate
By Taylor Linzinmeir
January 20, 2023
A semi-truck transporting 40,000 pounds of corn caused traffic on all southbound lanes to close last night (January 19) when it overturned.
The Milwaukee County Sheriff's Officer alerted residents of the issue on Interstate 41 at Florist Avenue just before 9 p.m. as the truck was obstructing multiple lanes. "Please exercise caution in the area of S/B I-41 @ Florist Ave., where an overturned semi carrying 40,000 pounds of corn is blocking lanes 2 and 3," they wrote on Twitter. Luckily, the semi-truck driver, who was not identified by police, only sustained minor injuries.
Authorities provided an update about half-an-hour later. The partial freeway closure had turned into a full freeway closure as "salvage efforts" continued. It's not clear if any corn actually spilled onto the roadway, but all southbound traffic was diverted.
TRAFFIC ALERT: Please exercise caution in the area of S/B I-41 @ Florist Ave., where an overturned semi carrying 40,000 lbs of 🌽 is blocking lanes 2 and 3. The semi driver suffered just minor injuries. The circumstances of the crash/turnover are under investigation.
— Milwaukee County Sheriff's Office (@MilwCoSheriff) January 20, 2023
The freeway eventually reopened at about 1:00 a.m. this morning. The cause of the crash has not been released at the time of this writing. The investigation is ongoing, according to police.
A few hours later, The Milwaukee County Sheriff's Office had to close down the freeway again, this time in the area of Interstate 894 at Beloit Road. First responders tended to a crash "involving a large truck - possibly a plow, in which the driver suffered serious injuries."
UPDATE: The full freeway closure is underway - S/B I-894 with all traffic diverted off at Beloit Road. The plow truck driver was conveyed to an area hospital, where he is expected to survive serious chest/lung injuries but remains in treatment.
— Milwaukee County Sheriff's Office (@MilwCoSheriff) January 20, 2023