One Person Killed on I-90 in Rock County

On Saturday, Jan. 7 at approximately 4:38 a.m., Wisconsin State Patrol requested assistance from the Rock County Sheriff’s office, town of Turtle Fire Department, Janesville Fire Department and MD-1 for a traffic accident with injuries on I-39/90 near County Highway S. Initial reports indicated the accident was a head on collision involving a semi-tractor and a Toyota Camry. As a result of the crash, the semi-tractor cab was fully engulfed in flames. However, the operator and sole occupant of the semi-truck was able to escape the cab on his own. The operator of the semi-truck stated the trailer contained containers of methanol and hydrogen peroxide.

The town of Turtle Fire Department was able to extinguish the cab fire before it reached the trailer, but the heat disrupted the integrity of the trailer’s contents. Janesville EMS attended to the male driver and sole occupant of the Toyota Camry, who was pronounced dead at the scene. Identification of the male subject will be released by the Rock County Medical Examiner’s Department following notification of next of kin.

Physical evidence at the scene revealed that the Toyota Camry was travelling northbound in the southbound lane of I-39/90 when it struck the southbound semi-tractor.

Additional units from the Janesville Police Department, Beloit Police Department and town of Turtle Police Department assisted by shutting down the interstate between the cities of Janesville and Beloit and implementing the DOT alternate route system. The Southern Wisconsin Emergency Preparedness Team (SWEPT) and Beloit Township Fire – Rehab 28 assisted with on-scene rehabilitation for on-scene emergency responders. The Rock County Highway Department assisted with traffic management and the Rock County Hazardous Materials Response Team assisted with scene assessment and hazard evaluation. The Beloit Police Department provided on-scene mobile command and radio support via their Incident Command vehicle. The Rock County Sheriff’s Office – Emergency Management Bureau provided incident management support throughout the event.

Personnel from Hazchem Environmental Corp from Addison, Illinois responded to the scene and secured the hazardous chemicals in the trailer prior to it being removed from the interstate. The Wisconsin State Patrol Accident Reconstruction Team responded to the scene along with the Rock County Medical Examiner. The crash remains under investigation by the Wisconsin State Patrol Accident Reconstruction Team.