Washington County semi rollover; driver arrested for OWI

TOWN OF POLK, Wis. - A 26-year-old Milwaukee man was arrested by Washington County sheriff's deputies for OWI first offense after rolling over a fully loaded semi-tractor trailer on I-41 Wednesday afternoon, April 17.

Officials say the wreck happened around 3:15 p.m. after an off-duty law enforcement officer observed the operator of the semi weaving onto the shoulder and then back across the lanes of traffic near Sherman Road.

After crossing both the fog line and center line of southbound I-41 multiple times, the driver began to pull onto the west shoulder of the interstate and proceeded down the grassy decline where the semi rolled onto the right side of the unit.

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Washington County Sheriff's Office Martin Schulteis saw it happen. He said he drove up next to the truck to check on the driver.

"I initially thought probably distracted driving, maybe on a phone, possibly a medical emergency," Schulteis said.

Credit: Washington County Sheriffs Office

Deputies arrived and needed to break the windshield of the semi to get the driver to safety.

The deputies immediately noticed signs of impairment. A preliminary breath test revealed a level of .297 – or nearly four times the legal limit. 

The driver was arrested and no one was hurt.

"That is possibly an 80,000-pound missile that could have done a lot of damage," the sheriff said.

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One lane of southbound I-41 was closed to facilitate clean-up operations and vehicle removal.

As they wait for toxicology results, Schulteis said it’s a good reminder for all.

"Not to do what I did, I can tell you that," he said. "You want to give them some space."