Construction driving safety; man recalls nearly-fatal crash

MILWAUKEE COUNTY, Wis. - A recent close call and crash has a man raising awareness for construction driving.

Many drivers fear equipment or wood coming loose from a work truck and flying towards them on the road.

As traffic moved forward on I-894 in Milwaukee County, Kyle Schaefer couldn't quite do the same.

Around noon on Nov. 22, he was going south on I-894 near the Greenfield and Lincoln exits. He said a work truck had a large, unsecured wooden board and merged into his lane.

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"I saw that board was in his truck. I saw everything was thrown in there and just had this feeling it was going to come out," Schaefer said. "Sure enough, as soon as he got in my lane, within a second or two, that board came numchucking out of that truck. It was either my windshield or worse."

Schaefer swerved and crashed into a barrier while going 70 mph. The work truck kept going.

"Things could have been a lot worse," he said. "I could not be talking with you today."

While he’s upset his car is totaled, Schaefer is especially frustrated because he runs a construction company and knows the importance of safety.

"I’ll go and put an extra strap on something," he said. "If it needs it, it needs it."

The Wisconsin Department of Transportation said its camera did not capture the incident. Schaefer doesn’t know the company or driver responsible, either.

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"It’s dangerous. You’re on the highway," he said. "Make sure you’re properly securing your load, that way you don’t have this happen."

While Schaefer is working to move forward, the Milwaukee County Sheriff’s Office has not shared whether it located the driver, the company responsible, or where the investigation currently stands.