RICE LAKE, Wis. (WJMC) — A 37-year-old Appleton man is in the hospital after rear-ending a parked semi on Highway 53 Thursday evening.
Barron County Sheriff Chris Fitzgerald said the crash happened just after 8 p.m., on Highway 53, just north of Rice Lake. At the time, a semi was stopped on the shoulder of the southbound lanes. A vehicle crossed the fog line and rumble strips, and struck the back of the semi.
The vehicle driver was airlifted to a hospital in critical condition. The semi driver, a 22-year-old man from Georgia, was not injured. No names have been released.
The southbound lanes of Highway 53 were closed for five hours. The crash is under investigation by the Wisconsin State Patrol and Barron County Sheriff’s Department.