June 12, at 8:14am the 9-1-1 Center was receiving many calls from cell phone callers that a semi had hit a car on Interstate 90, that the car was now on fire, and that the semi had gone off the road. Harlem-Roscoe Fire Prot. Dist. responded to the accident just east of the Village of Roscoe, Illinois on I-90. Harlem-Roscoe Fire's Ambulance C-14, Heavy Duty Rescue 741, Engine/pumper 706 and minipumper 761 arrived at the 73mm on I-90 to find a debris field that crossed all four lanes of traffic with a Monte Carlo against the guard rail in the eastbound lane and a semi over the embankment on the westbound lane. Dane County Regional Airport Air National Guard Fire Department personnel had put the fire out in the Monte Carlo. 12 firefighters from the 115th Fighter Wing were on their way to Chicago for training and came across the accident. They doned their fire suits and rounded up fire extinguishers from other semis. They had the fire in the engine compartment of the Monte Carlo and the semi's fuel tank that had been ripped off mostly out when first in rescue units arrived.
It seems the driver of the Monte Carlo was originally heading west on I-90, hit the guard rail, careened across the meridian into the east bound lane and was run over by a semi truck catching fire as it came to rest against the guardrail. The 50 year-old male driver of the Monte Carlo was prounounced dead on the scene.
The impact also sent the semi truck careening across the meridian, leaving a trail of diesel fuel and vehicle parts across all 4 lanes of traffic, and plowing right through the guard rail and down a steep hill. The 29-yr old female driver of the Iowa City Heartland Express Semi was helped out of her truck by other truckers and up to the road and was transported to the hospital by H-R Ambulance C-14. She was treated and released.
All four lanes of Interstate 90 were completley shut down several times during the next 8 hours after the accident and during the cleanup causing an extreme backup for miles and major headaches for travelers.
