Four jackknifed tractor trailers, five injury accidents, and more than 12 crashes causing property damages wreaked havoc on Kenosha County, Wisconsin on Tuesday morning.
The “historic” snowfall caused slippery, snow-covered roadways in the southeastern part of the state on January 26th, including major backups on Interstate 94.
At around 8 a.m., two semi trucks jackknifed on northbound I-94 south of Pleasant Prairie Premium Outlets, blocking all northbound lanes of traffic. Kenosha News reports that traffic was backed up as far as south of the state line, and was rerouted at Russell Road in Newport for over an hour before the wreck could be cleared.
“One driver was injured and transported to a local hospital,” Sgt. Scott Jarvela of the Wisconsin State Patrol said.
A second crash involving two semi trucks occurred just over an hour later at around 9:30 a.m. along I-94 near Highway 158. This incident also blocked the roadway for around an hour, but all lanes were reopened by 10:45 a.m. No injuries were reported in that crash. A third jackknifed semi truck was reported on Interstate 41 in Waukesha County, also causing lane closures.
In addition to the I-94 semi truck crashes, officials also responded to five crashes with injuries, seven without, 14 incidents involving property damage, and six assist motorist calls, along with eight more snow-related incidents.
While conditions have improved since Tuesday morning, weather experts say that more is expected to come over the weekend, and drivers should remain prepared.
“This is historic snow,” Weather Service meteorologist Taylor Nicolaisen said according to the Journal Times. “But it’s not done yet.”
Another snowstorm is expected to hit the area over the weekend, with as much as 3 inches expected on Sunday, according to AccuWeather Reports.