Two men were seriously injured and flown to the hospital after a semi-tanker rolled over during a multi-vehicle crash that shut down Route 14 near Woodstock Friday afternoon.
The Woodstock Fire/Rescue District and McHenry County Sheriff’s Office responded around 12:32 p.m. Friday to Route 14 and Hughes Road in unincorporated Woodstock for a report of a vehicle crash with entrapment.
Woodstock Fire/Rescue District Communication Specialist Alex Vucha said 911 callers reported a semi-truck had overturned and at least one driver was trapped in their vehicle.
Firefighters arrived in seven minutes to find a four-vehicle crash just west of the intersection.
One of the vehicles, a semi-truck hauling a tanker, had rolled over and was leaking fluid onto the roadway and into the ditch, Vucha said.
Paramedics began triaging the victims involved while firefighters extricated one of the trapped drivers.
Firefighters identified the leaking liquid as wastewater, Vucha said.
Two medical helicopters, one from LifeNet and another from Mercyhealth REACT, were requested to the scene.
The helicopters landed in a field southeast of the intersection.
Vucha said two adult males were airlifted to Mercy Javon Bea Hospital–Riverside in Rockford with serious but non-life-threatening injuries.
Three other people involved did not report injuries and did wish to be transported to the hospital.
Firefighters from the Union Fire Protection District and Hebron-Alden-Greenwood Fire Protection District assisted at the scene.
Crews from Marengo Fire & Rescue Districts and the Huntley Fire Protection District covered Woodstock during the incident.
Route 14 remained completely shut down as of 5:15 p.m. Friday, Vucha said.
The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) was notified of the large wastewater spill and the cleanup was being coordinated through the trucking company.
The McHenry County Sheriff’s Office is investigating the cause of the crash.