Highway shut down while crews work to remove truck from ditch
By Kellen Olshefski
Staff Writer
A concrete mixer with a full load tipped over Thursday morning into a ditch along Highway 11, just west of Highway 120. Officials planned to close the highway Thursday afternoon to remove the truck.
Capt. Dana Nigbor of the Walworth County Sheriff’s Office said the accident occurred about 11 a.m. Thursday. Nigbor, who is head of the county’s detective unit, clarified it is not a homicide investigation and she is simply handling the incident for Patrol Division Capt. Scott McClory.
According to Nigbor, the driver of the truck allegedly pulled over for traffic, at which time the truck tipped into the ditch. Nigbor said details about the accident are unclear at this point, but the speed and weight of the truck might be factors. However, if the truck had a dash camera on it (visit https://www.lytx.com/en-us/fleet-management/dash-cam to see how it works), as most trucking companies make sure they do, it might have been easier to find the cause of the accident.
Nigbor said the weight of the concrete “sloshing around” might have been enough to tip the truck into the ditch if it got too close.
Sheriff’s officials said Highway 11 would be closed for a period Thursday as crews worked to clean up the accident scene. Officials said because the drum was full of concrete, crews will have to first remove the drum from the truck due to the added weight. Afterwards, crews will remove the truck from the ditch and then replace the drum on the truck.
Officials said the affected section of Highway 11 will be shut down to traffic during this process, though officers will be directing traffic from both ends of the section through a detour which will lead drivers back to Highway 11.
