Semi rollover leads to hours long highway closure

Shortly after midnight this morning [Wednesday], the Lafayette County Sheriff’s Office Dispatch Center received a 911 call reporting a Semi tractor trailer rollover crash in the 21000 block of Highway 151 in Kendall. The caller reported complete road blockage and injuries to the driver and passenger of the semi. Lafayette County Sheriff’s Deputies, were immediately dispatched, along with Fire and EMS units from Belmont and Mineral Point. Mutual aid was requested of the Iowa County Sheriff’s Office and Belmont Police Department. Upon arrival of first responding units, Southwest Health EMS and UW Medflight were requested. The investigation revealed that a Semi and trailer left the roadway while traveling northbound on Highway 151 and overturned after striking a crossover turn around in the median, causing the semi-truck and trailer to overturn across the southbound lanes of traffic. The driver, 50-year-old Kushawjah Keeler of Burlington was flown by UW Medflight from the scene to UW Hospital in Madison with life threatening injuries. The passenger, 46-year-old Priscilla Keeler, also of Burlington was transported by ambulance to Upland Hills Medical Center in Dodgeville with non-life threatening injuries. The semi-truck and trailer sustained severe damage and were towed from the scene. Southbound lanes of traffic on Highway 151 were blocked and rerouted until 5:24 AM.