WAUKESHA, Wis. — A driver is dead after rear-ending a snowplow on I-94 in Waukesha Monday morning. Wisconsin State Patrol is still trying to determine exactly how it happened. It left the highway shut down for hours and sent people in nearby vehicles running across the expressway to help.
Bingo Emmons was driving east on I-94 to an appointment around 9:30 a.m. when traffic suddenly came to a halt.
"I just saw the white smoke and all the spinning and crashing and metal flying, and just, like, that happened so fast," Emmons said.
Former TMJ4 meteorologist Brian Gotter was traveling in the opposite direction, just a few cars behind the SUV and snowplow when the crash occurred.
"I notice there is a large snow plow in the median scraping the ice and the snow off, so I started merging into the center lane because it was going into the third lane," Gotter said.
Gotter got behind a semi-truck, which blocked his view of the crash that happened seconds later. Emmons witnessed the entire incident.
Watch: Man tries to save the driver trapped in the I-94 snowplow crash, she later died of her injuries
"It's awful. My brain doesn't seem to comprehend it," Emmons said, adding that he knew the woman was seriously hurt.
Emmons, who once worked as an EMT, immediately rushed to help the trapped driver. Photos from the scene show him in a red sweatshirt trying to assist.
"We couldn't get her out. I tried the seatbelts, and you know, the seatbelts stretched super tight, and it was… that was crushing her, so I… when I cut that, it released a little bit, but we could… we couldn't get her out," Emmons said.
He called out to other drivers for assistance.
"I said, 'Yes, help us lift this up.' So everybody was helping us hold it up. We held it up until the fire department could get her out," Emmons said.
Gotter witnessed drivers running across the highway to help.
"You see people running from 94 eastbound, running to come help the person," Gotter said. "I knew it was not good when you see people running."
The snowplow operator was not injured in the crash and attempted to help the other driver until first responders arrived, according to county officials.
Waukesha County Department of Public Works Director Allison Bussler issued a statement about the incident:
"Around 10:00 a.m. Monday, a Waukesha County snowplow with warning lights activated was rear‑ended on I‑94 WB near Springdale Rd while clearing snow from the shoulder. The plow operator was not injured and attempted to aid the other driver until first responders arrived. Westbound I‑94 traffic was diverted at Bluemound Rd/Barker Rd. Wisconsin State Patrol is investigating, please direct crash inquiries to State Patrol."
The Wisconsin State Patrol is still investigating the crash. They say the driver rear-ended the snow plow, but are still trying to figure out exactly why.
This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.
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