A 72-year-old Woodstock man was killed after his semi-truck crashed into a guardrail and the trailer rolled over, spilling 25 tons of sludge near Antioch Monday morning, the sheriff’s office said.
The Lake County Sheriff’s Office and Antioch Fire Department responded around 11:52 a.m. Monday to Route 173 and Converse Road in Antioch Township for a vehicle crash with injuries.
Sheriff’s deputies arrived and located a 1990 Peterbilt semi-truck pulling a Trinity trailer with major damage. The trailer was loaded with approximately 25 tons of granular sludge.
A preliminary investigation shows the driver of the Peterbilt, a 72-year-old Woodstock man, was traveling westbound.
The truck began veering to the left for an unknown reason, Lake County Sheriff Spokesman Sgt. Christopher Covelli said.
The Peterbilt crossed into the eastbound lanes and struck a guardrail on the south side of the roadway.
The Peterbilt continued west and the trailer rolled, spilling its load. The truck and trailer partially jackknifed, Covelli said.
Firefighters extricated the driver from the cab and he was transported by paramedics to Northwestern Medicine Hospital in McHenry where he was later pronounced dead.
The McHenry County Coroner’s Office is in the process of scheduling an autopsy on the man.
The crash remains under investigation by the Lake County Sheriff’s Office Technical Crash Investigations Unit.