APPLETON — Seven vehicles were involved in a chain reaction crash that closed a part of I-41 in Appleton for more than two hours Thursday morning.
According to Wisconsin State Patrol, a driver of Chevorlet pickup truck, towing a flatbed trailer southbound on I-41, was eating while driving and dropped some food on the floor, at which time vehicles in front of him had slowed due to the morning rush. The truck was unable to stop and hit the vehicle directly ahead of it, causing a chain reaction crash.
Two people were taken to the hospital with non-life threatening injuries.
Wisconsin State Patrol said the pickup driver was cited for operating while suspended, inattentive driving, open intoxicants and possession of alcohol while operating a commercial motor vehicle. However, State Patrol said alcohol was not a factor in the crash, as the driver had not consumed any of the alcohol in the vehicle.
It took about 2.75 hours to remove all seven vehicles from the scene, some had substantial damage. The crash closed I-41 southbound near Richmond St. at around 7:30 a.m. and the road reopened about 10:15 a.m.
