Driver hits gas line box in Waterford township, homes evacuated

Shortly after 8 p.m., Monday evening, a single-vehicle personal injury accident was reported at the intersection of Highway 20 and Honey Creek Road in the Town of Waterford. The vehicle reportedly drove through a fence around a WE Energies main line gas junction station and hit a natural gas line, breaking it open and venting natural gas into the air. Witnesses on scene reported the driver was trapped in the vehicle but they could not get close enough to pull the driver out.

The first Racine County Sheriff Deputy on scene advised that the struck gas line was a high pressure line and the area needed to be evacuated. The peputy was then able to pull the driver out of the vehicle and carry her to safety and for treatment by arriving first responders. The 21-year-old female driver was the only person in the vehicle and had sustained head injuries. She was transported to Burlington Memorial Hospital and then to Froedtert Memorial Hospital in Wauwatosa for treatment of  her injuries.

The gas line reportedly flowed freely for an hour and 21 minutes before WE Energies could turn the line off. This caused all traffic in the area to be shut down, including train traffic. Houses by the crash scene were evacuated as well.

The Racine County Sheriff’s Office was assisted at the scene by the Town of Waterford Police Department , Village of Waterford Fire and Rescue, Tichigan Volunteer Fire Company  and Wind Lake Fire Department.

Speed and alcohol are believed to be factors in this crash. No names are being released at this time as the crash investigation is ongoing.  A followup report will appear in this week’s print edition of the Waterford Post.