DELAVAN — A driver who authorities say may have been having a medical emergency sideswiped a Walworth County sheriff’s squad car before hitting a second vehicle and crashing head-on into a third Tuesday afternoon near Delavan.
The deputy then rushed to help the driver while arriving first-responders tended to the other crash victims.
According to a news release from the Walworth County Sheriff’s Office, Deputy Joshua Chorneyko was driving his marked patrol squad near the intersection of highways 50 and F just past the Delavan Inlet when he saw a red truck coming at him head-on.
Chorneyko tried to take evasive action to avoid a head-on collision with the red truck but was unsuccessful and subsequently sideswiped by the truck, according to the sheriff’s office.
Chorneyko could no longer operate his squad and it came to rest in the roadway, with extensive damage and airbag deployment.
The red truck continued westbound and sideswiped another eastbound vehicle, which was originally two vehicles behind Chorneyko’s squad.
The red truck then collided head-on with a third vehicle immediately behind the second vehicle that had been struck. All vehicles remained on-scene and were inoperable as a result of the crash.
A Good Samaritan immediately stopped and assisted Chorneyko, who required assistance in getting out of the squad, due to the extensive driver’s side damage.
When Chorneyko got out of his squad, other Good Samaritans who were stopping to assist told him that the red truck was on fire and the driver was trapped.
Chorneyko immediately went to the aid of the driver and sole occupant of the red truck, who had just hit him. There was no fire, but the driver was trapped in the wrecked vehicle and needed medical attention, according to the Sheriff’s office.
Law enforcement from the City and Town of Delavan Police Departments and the Walworth County Sheriff’s Office were arriving and provided first aid to the injured drivers and sole occupants from the other two vehicles. All injuries from this crash were non-life-threatening.
Highway 50 between Northshore Drive and Hwy F, North, was closed for an extended period of time while the Wisconsin State Patrol conducted a traffic crash investigation. The City of Delavan Police Department remains the lead agency and point of contact for this incident.
A medical emergency by the driver of the red truck is believed to be a significant contributing factor to these events, according to the news release.
“The community’s willingness to stop and assist our injured Deputy and other drivers in this crash did not go unnoticed and is greatly appreciated,” the sheriff’s office wrote in a social media post. “We extend our sincere thanks to the citizens involved, the City of Delavan Police and Fire Department, the Town of Delavan Police and Fire Department, and the Wisconsin State Patrol.”