OSHKOSH, WI (WTAQ) – A chain reaction crash on I-41 in Winnebago County on Sunday is being called the biggest wreck in state history.
For tow drivers, it required skill and collaboration to clear the scene.
For some companies, such as Expert Automotive Services in Oshkosh, they were still working on the scene Monday morning, around seventeen-hours after the crash initially happened.
“When we got there, a bunch of cars were just smashed in as tight as you can get them between concrete barriers,” says co-owner Adam Pugh. “There was no pulling them out or backing them out, you actually had to wrench every car out of there.”
The company had six trucks sent out to the wreckage, but the first challenge was simply getting there safely themselves.
“On the north end we were driving over a lot of car parts because there were debris everywhere, so you had to worry about kicking stuff out of the way,” Pugh explains. “Between that and you only have one lane to work with, getting trucks in and out to the clear ground.”
Beyond the debris and limited space, there was one other issue.
“You can’t see,” he explains. “So we’re running our lights going four-miles-per-hour probably.”
According to him, there were around twenty-five total tow trucks that responded to the scene.
Upon arrival, it was obvious that plain survival was at the forefront of everyone’s mind.
“Patients were actually coming out over the top of cars, they’re cutting the roofs off of cars,” he says.
He adds that various companies had to work together in order to effectively clear the roadway.
“Everything went perfect, as far as that’s concerned,” says Pugh.
The vehicles involved were taken to the Neenah city garage so authorities could assess the damage.
30-year-old Andrew Schefelker, a first-year teacher in the Iola-Scandinavia School District, died in the crash.
Seventy-one other people had to be taken to the hospital following the wreck.
