I-43 semi crash, fire in Belgium; victims identified
BELGIUM, Wis. - A crash killed two semi-truck drivers on Interstate 43 Thursday night, Sept. 8 in Belgium.
Investigators say one semi left the road and slammed into another truck. Witnesses who spoke to FOX6 News remained shaken Friday by what they saw.
"It was horrible," said Hanna Schwarz of Port Washington. "I’ve never seen anything like that in my life, ever. You don’t want to see like that."
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The drivers who died have been identified as 50-year-old Milton Christensen of Suring and 69-year-old Richard Wysocki of Wausaukee.
"Devastating, devastating. My condolences to everybody involved. I can’t even imagine," said Schwarz."
I-43 was shut down for nearly seven hours after the crash. It happened south of Sandy Beach Road in Belgium
The Ozaukee County Sheriff's Office said a northbound semi, driven by Christensen, lost control and veered off the road, slamming into a southbound semi driven by Wysocki. Both men died at the scene.
Viewer video showed flames shooting up from both semis, and a huge cloud of black smoke that could be seen from miles away.
"There was just debris, ash everywhere. It was just flying all through the air. It was like cardboard everywhere," Schwarz said. "We saw a huge cloud of black smoke, and we came around a corner, and I saw a semi jack-knifed and just a huge, huge fire."
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"As I was in that left lane, you could feel the heat even in the northbound side. It was intense," Robb Hanke said.
Hanke passed by the crash before investigators shut down the interstate. He was there as ambulances arrived.
"There were some people or first responders on that side screaming ‘They’re still in the truck, they’re still in the truck,’" said Robb Hanke. "That still sends me chills."
The investigation into what happened and why the driver lost control is ongoing. No one else was injured.