Accident in Town of Gratiot Leaves 19-Year-Old Airlifted; Truck and Semi Collide
TOWN OF GRATIOT, Wis. — A 19-year-old from Illinois was airlifted to a Madison hospital following a collision between his pickup truck and a semi-trailer on Friday afternoon.
According to the Lafayette County Sheriff's Office, the crash occurred around 2:45 p.m. at the intersection of County Highway KK, County Highway DD, and South Prairie Road. Deputies and first responders from both Wisconsin and Illinois were dispatched to the scene.
Jeremy Eicher, 19, of Orangeville, IL, was driving a 2004 Chevrolet Silverado eastbound when he failed to stop at a stop sign. His truck entered the path of a northbound 2007 Kenworth semi-trailer operated by Jimmy Lee Klenz, 48, of Brodhead.
Klenz could not avoid the collision, which caused Eicher's pickup to roll over before both vehicles came to rest in a ditch at the northeast corner of the intersection.
Authorities reported that UW Medflight doctors provided critical assistance to Eicher at the scene before he was airlifted to UW Hospital and Clinics in Madison. Eicher's current condition is unknown.
Klenz was transported by ambulance to Monroe Hospital and Clinics for minor injuries and was later released. Both vehicles were heavily damaged; Eicher's truck was towed from the scene, as was Klenz's semi-trailer, which sustained moderate damage.
The investigation into the incident is ongoing.