A man died after a crash involving a pickup truck and a commercial truck that resulted in a hazardous materials response near Woodstock Tuesday morning, fire officials said.
The Woodstock Fire/Rescue District and McHenry County Sheriff’s Office responded around 5:52 a.m. Tuesday to the area of Kishwaukee Valley Road and South Hughes Road in unincorporated Woodstock for a report of a vehicle crash with entrapment.
Woodstock Fire/Rescue District Public Information Officer Alex Vucha said fire crews arrived within minutes and located a two-vehicle crash.
The crash resulted in heavy damage and involved a commercial truck and a pickup truck.
The adult male driver of the pickup truck was still inside his vehicle and unresponsive.
The victim was pronounced dead at the scene due to his injuries, despite “immediate efforts of paramedics,” Vucha said.
A medical helicopter was initially requested but was canceled.
The driver of the commercial truck was evaluated by paramedics and declined medical treatment.
Vucha said the impact caused a rupture to one of the commercial truck’s saddle tanks, resulting in a diesel fuel spill onto the pavement.
A small hazardous materials response was initiated.
Vucha said firefighters worked to contain the spill using absorbent materials to prevent the fuel from reaching the adjacent ditch.
Kishwaukee Valley Road was shut down in both directions for several hours while fire crews operated at the scene and law enforcement conducted an investigation.
The McHenry County Sheriff’s Office is leading the investigation into the cause of the crash.
“Our thanks go to their deputies and investigators, who have worked closely alongside our personnel through several recent challenging incidents. Their continued partnership and dedication to public safety are sincerely appreciated,” Vucha said.