(Estherville)– A nearly head-on crash involving an SUV and a semi Sunday evening on Highway Nine west of Estherville sent one person to the hospital and shut down the road in that area for a couple hours.
The Emmet County Sheriff’s Office says Michael Pomeroy of Spirit Lake was driving a 1997 GMC Yukon eastbound on Highway Nine when he went off the shoulder to the right. Authorities say he over-corrected and the vehicle crossed the center line where it collided nearly head-on with a westbound 2001 Freightliner semi driven by Corey Stout of Rockwell City.
The semi went into the south ditch where it traveled through a fence and went into a farm field; Pomeroy’s vehicle came to rest in the north ditch.
Pomeroy had to be extricated from his vehicle via mechanical means by the Estherville Fire Department. He was taken by ambulance to Lakes Regional Healthcare in Spirit Lake with an injury to his right leg. No injuries were reported to Stout.
Authorities say the fuel tank on the semi ruptured and that an estimated 80 gallons of diesel fuel leaked onto the ground and roadway. DOT crews put down a layer of sand to absorb the fuel from the pavement. The DNR was also contacted regarding the spilled fuel.
Nine thousand dollars in damage was estimated to the vehicle driven by Pomeroy; 60-thousand dollars in damage was estimated to the semi tractor-trailer Stout was driving, which is owned by Decker Trucking of Fort Dodge. A fence owned by Wilbur Merrill of Estherville sustained an estimated 150-dollars in damage.
The mishap took place shortly after 8:00 p.m.
