July 01, 2025

Warning in the wind: Gale bowls over semitrailers

By Craig Sterrett

November 29, 2019 at 5:51 pm CST

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Wenona and Toluca-Rutland firefighters and other emergency crews spent Wednesday morning, one of the busiest travel days of the year, dealing with five semitrailers involved in separate accidents. Strong gusts blew all of them over between 9 a.m. and 11 a.m. Wednesday. Jeff Senica from Senica Interstate Towing provided a few photos. (Submitted photo)

Five trucks pulling semitrailers — all empty, according to Senica Interstate Towing — blew over between 9 a.m. and 11 a.m. Wednesday on Interstate 39 in the Toluca-Rutland and Wenona fire districts.

Toluca-Rutland Fire Protection District on Wednesday warned motorists to stay home during the gale, and if they had to travel, to take great care and to give plenty of room for fire, ambulance and towing crews to do their work.

Wenona Fire Department thanked “Toluca-Rutland Fire Protection Dist. Eastern Marshall County Ambulance Service, Senica Interstate Towing Marshall County Sheriffs Department and Illinois State Police Dist 8 Metamora for the fast response and quick work of clearing the roads on this busiest travel day of the year.”

Wenona Fire Department said three of the accidents either fully or partially blocked Interstate 39 driving lanes. Senica Interstate Towing cleared the final bits of wreckage at about 5 p.m. Wednesday.