UPDATE: Driver extricated after semi flips, spills lumber on I-39 in Plover

By Brandi Makuski

PLOVER — A semi truck driver was pinned in his vehicle for nearly an hour early Friday after crashing on southbound Interstate 39 and spilling hundreds of 2x4s onto the road and median, according to Portage County Sheriff Mike Lukas.

The crash occurred around 3:30 a.m. near the County B overpass. Lukas said the driver, a 30-year-old man from Spencer, was in the outside lane when he swerved to avoid a deer, veered toward the median, overcorrected, and jackknifed. The truck flipped onto its side in the median, trapping the driver for almost 50 minutes.

“He was extricated with minor injuries and transported to Marshfield,” Lukas said, adding the transport was likely by ambulance, though details were still being confirmed.

The crash shut down all southbound lanes of I-39/US 51 from County B to the WIS 54 ramp. The Portage County Sheriff’s Department, Plover Fire Department, and the Plover Traffic Incident Management (TIM) Team responded to the scene, with firefighters assisting in the rescue and TIM personnel rerouting traffic.

Hundreds of pieces of lumber were strewn across the highway. Heavy equipment was brought in to help with cleanup, and Adam’s Towing used a flatbed trailer to haul the lumber away.

Traffic is being detoured east on Plover Road, south on County Highway R to WIS 54, then west on WIS 54 to return to I-39 southbound. At press, the highway remains closed.

This story will be updated.