Chief: I-39 conditions are ‘Horrible…like an ice-skating rink’

By Brandi Makuski

What was initially called in as a single-vehicle rollover on Jan. 10 turned out to be an abandoned accident site.

Portage Co. deputies and emergency crews from the Dewey Fire Department were called to mile marker 168 on I-39 for a report of a single-vehicle rollover at about 6:48 a.m. on Tuesday. The vehicle, a sedan, was found in the median on its roof.

“I-39 is horrible. It is like an ice skating rink north of the city,” said Dewey Fire Chief Brian Lepper, adding that when he jumped on the Interstate with his emergency lights and sirens on, he wasn’t able to reach 60 miles an hour because of the state of the roads. That was despite seeing county road crews treating the road with salt, he said.

Lepper said no victims were found in the area, and with no patients or fire, he eventually canceled the response from Dewey rescuers. The vehicle will be towed, he said.

“Whoever it was got picked up, and that was smart because nobody should be out there on the side of the road,” he said. “I would have been on pins and needles if my people had to be out there because it was so bad.”

He urged motorists to use caution and allow extra travel time.