Man rescued from river after crash on Interstate
FULTON TOWNSHIP — A Janesville man received non life-threatening injuries when he crashed into a guardrail on Interstate 90/39 and ended up in the Rock River on Saturday morning.
An Edgerton man helped the injured man out of the icy water.
Richard A. Yates, 67, crashed his white Chevrolet Lumina car into the guardrail in the westbound lane of Interstate 90/39 at mile marker 164 near the Newville exit at 10:15 a.m.
Justin Gorniak, Edgerton, used a set of jumper cables to help Yates out of the river, he said.
“I was the one that fished him out,” Gorniak said. “It was pretty cold.”
To get to the water, Yates broke through a thin layer of ice that stretched two feet from the bank.
Dispatchers said a passer-by reported the car was on fire, but Wisconsin State Patrol Sgt. Greg Jenswold could not confirm that Saturday afternoon.
For reasons unknown to Jenswold, Yates made his way more than 50 yards down the bridge embankment, across Ellendale Road and into the river under the bridge.
Yates was transported to Edgerton Hospital, Jenswold said. Emergency room staff would not comment on his condition, but Jenswold said he could have been released as early as Saturday evening.
Before you post a comment, consider this:
Note: GazetteXtra.com does not condone or review every comment. Read more in our User Policy AgreementPost Comment
Commenting requires registration.