Three people were hospitalized after a semi-tractor-trailer crashed into a garbage truck, causing severe damage and shutting down Route 23 near Marengo Wednesday morning.
The Marengo Fire and Rescue Districts and McHenry County Sheriff’s Office responded around 7 a.m. Wednesday to the area of Route 23 and Collins Road in unincorporated Marengo for a vehicle crash with injuries.
Fire crews arrived and reported a two-vehicle crash with one victim who had possibly been ejected.
Marengo Fire and Rescue Districts Chief John Kimmel said it was later determined they had not been ejected.
A medical helicopter was initially placed on standby but canceled. Three ambulances were dispatched to the scene.
McHenry County Sheriff’s Office Communication Specialist Emily Matusek-Baker said a preliminary investigation showed that a 2016 International semi-tractor-trailer was traveling northbound on Route 23 south of Collins Road.
A 2005 MDC garbage truck was backing into a driveway on Route 23 to pick up a garbage container.
The semi-truck traveled northbound and struck the cab portion of the garbage truck that was still in the roadway, Matusek-Baker said.
Both vehicles sustained severe damage and the semi-tractor-trailer came to rest off the roadway.
Matusek-Baker said the garbage truck was occupied by a driver and a passenger, with the driver suffering more significant injuries. Both were transported by ambulance to Northwestern Medicine Hospital in Huntley.
The driver of the semi-truck was transported by ambulance to Northwestern Medicine Hospital in McHenry.
All three victims were expected to survive as they did not have life-threatening injuries, Matusek-Baker said.
Kimmel said none of the three adult males was believed to have suffered serious injuries.
The road conditions were foggy at the time and the semi-truck crested a small hill on Route 23, both of which are believed to be contributing factors, Matusek-Baker said.
Route 23 between Kishwaukee Valley Road and River Road was shut down for approximately three hours while heavy wrecker crews worked to remove both vehicles from the scene, Kimmel said.
The crash remains under investigation and no citations or charges have been announced yet.