May 10th, 2010 | 
Author: FOND DU LAC, WI – A semi tractor trailer truck carrying cattle overturned on a Wisconsin highway Thursday morning, April 30, 2010, as the driver attempted to avoid colliding with a vehicle that had pulled in front of the truck. The truck accident occurred on the Highway 151 bypass near the city of Fond du Lac, WI. The accident area is in the east central section of the state, 66 miles northwest of Milwaukee, WI and 74 miles south of Green Bay, WI.
The semi trailer truck was carrying 11 cows and 2 calves at the time of the truck accident. The rollover injured several of the animals and one had to be euthanized.
At about 11:00 a.m. Thursday morning 55 year old Patrick DeGeneffe of Chilton, WI was driving his trailer truck southbound on the four lane bypass on Highway 151 near Fond du Lac, WI. Mr. DeGeneffe was hauling cattle for the DeGeneffe Brothers Transport Company, located in Chilton.
As the truck driver drove on the bypass near the Fourth Street intersection a grey vehicle, possibly a SUV, suddenly pulled in front of the tractor trailer truck. The grey vehicle had been traveling east on Fourth Street when it pulled onto the southbound lanes of the bypass, cutting off the semi truck. The truck driver swerved his rig into the left lane to avoid colliding with the grey vehicle, and then lost control of the 18 wheeler as he tried to move back into his original lane.
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The cattle trailer truck tipped and slid sideways before going airborne. The semi truck then went into the northbound lanes, then back into the south lanes, rolled over onto the left side of the truck and finally slid to a stop in the center median of the highway, trapping the truck driver inside the cab. The grey vehicle continued south on the highway and Wisconsin Patrol officers are searching for the driver.
A constable with the Town of Taycheedah, Bill Gius, witnessed the truck accident and was able to call for immediate assistance. Emergency personnel responded to the scene and worked for about thirty minutes to free Mr. DeGeneffe from the truck’s cab. Once freed, the truck driver was stabilized at the site and then airlifted by a Flight for Life medical helicopter to Theda Clark Medical Center in Neenah, WI, about 37 miles to the north. His condition was reportedly serious but not life threatening.
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The semi trailer truck was carrying 11 cows and 2 calves at the time of the truck accident. The rollover injured several of the animals and one had to be euthanized. Some of the cattle escaped the trailer after the truck accident and passersby stopped to help corral the animals.
After the truck accident officials shut down Highway 151 so highway crews could clear the roadway and upright the overturned semi trailer truck. The highway was closed to traffic for about 2 ½ hours between Highway 23 to County Highway V. The traffic lanes were finally reopened shortly after 1:00 p.m. Thursday afternoon.
The Wisconsin State Patrol is looking for the driver of the grey vehicle that is believed to have set off the truck accident. According to authorities the vehicle may be a SUV and anyone with information is asked to call the department.
The truck accident remains under investigation.
For more information about Wisconsin trucking laws, truck injury causes and victims rights, contact nationwide truck accident attorneys, Gordon, Elias & Seely, LLP for expert advice. For a free initial consultation, talk to a WI truck accident lawyer at 800.773.6770.
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