Illinois State Police and firefighters and paramedics from Newport Fire Protection District responded about 5:05 a.m. Tuesday, August 17, 2021 to a report of a crash with injuries involving a semi-trailer truck and pickup truck at Mile Post 4.75 on I-94 EAST (southbound lanes) just north of Wadsworth Road and just north of toll plaza “Waukegan Toll Plaza 21” near Wadsworth. The semi-trailer driver advised that he was not injured, but was entrapped in his truck. Four people were also trapped in the pickup truck.
Illinois State Police troopers from District 15 and firefighters and paramedics from Newport Fire Protection District upon arrival discovered a semi-trailer truck and pickup truck up against the median J-wall with the truck driver trapped and four people in the pickup truck trapped. Surprisingly, with the blue pickup truck smashed and compressed between the semi-trailer truck and the J-wall, injuries were initially believed to be minor.
Newport fire command requested that Ernie’s Towing expedite to the scene for assistance with extrication. Firefighters used extrication tools at the scene, including a power spreader and cutter tool. Firefighters and paramedics from Beach Park, Gurnee and Zion assisted Newport FPD firefighters and paramedics at the scene.
Four people in the pickup truck — a blue Toyota Tacoma — were transported to a nearby hospital with crash injuries.
Southbound Lanes 1 and 2 of I-94 EAST were blocked while traffic passed in Lane 3 and on the right shoulder during rescue operations and investigation. The inside lanes of I-94 WEST (northbound) was also blocked as firefighters were working on both sides of the median wall for extrication.
Citations may be pending. The driver of the blue Toyota Tacoma pickup truck slowed down while making a lane change, and the driver of the red semi-trailer truck was unable to stop, according to the Illinois State Police. The crash was located near the split for the I-PASS lanes (center lanes) and the CASH lanes (outer lanes) — separated by a concrete divider. The wreckage came to rest at a point south of the split.
The information in this article is an early report published before any summary information was confirmed or released by police or fire authorities.
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