3 semis crash near Springville, injuring one driver

Three semi-trailer trucks collided Wednesday morning on Highway 151 near Springville, sending one driver to the hospital with injuries.

Linn County deputies were called to the crash just after 7 a.m. near the highway’s intersection with Wendling Lane.

pic.twitter.com/VcETn7e79R

— LinnCountySheriff (@LinnIASheriff) September 22, 2021

Deputies reported Michael Lacourciere, 60, of Morton, Ill., was driving west, with his semi pulling an oversized load, when he failed to notice a construction zone that narrowed the highway to one lane.

Lacourciere stopped his semi in the roadway, pulled onto the shoulder and began to back up.

This brought westbound traffic to a stop, deputies said, causing a semi, driven by Gary Schulte, 60, of New Vienna, to run into the back of another semi driven by Wayne Myhre, 64, of Bloomington, Wis.

The collision pushed Myhre’s semi into a third semi, driven by Ronald Fagan, 64, of Onslow.

Myhre was taken to the hospital for treatment of what were believed to be non-life threatening injuries, the sheriff’s office said in a news release.

Schulte was cited for failure to stop at a safe and assured distance.

Lacourciere was cited for an oversized load permit violation and failure to maintain control. He also was warned for unsafe backing.

Traffic flow was interrupted briefly while the road was cleared of debris, the sheriff’s office said.

Comments: (319) 398-8238; kat.russell@thegazette.com