Rollover ties up Rt. 53 traffic

Traffic on the southbound lanes of Route 53 was snarled throughout Monday’s rush hour and into Monday night after a semitrailer overturned while turning on the on ramp.

A load of engine blocks in the trailer shifted as the driver was on the ramp from eastbound I-90 to southbound Route 53, causing the vehicle to flip onto its side and slide across three lanes of traffic, said Illinois State Police Master Sgt. Murphy.

The semitrailer struck a new guard rail that separated the local lanes from the express lanes, stopping the load, Murphy said.

Police said the new rail prevented the semi from skidding into the express lanes, and no other vehicles were involved in the crash.

Police and Schaumburg rescue crews responded to the crash at 4:42 p.m. and were forced to cut the driver out of the truck.

Schaumburg Fire battalion Chief Rick Anderson said the engine blocks in the trailer were so heavy that they broke through the roof of the trailer.

The local lanes were shut down for at least an hour, and traffic was delayed for multiple hours as police waited for a towing company to unload the engine blocks.

The driver was taken to Alexian Brothers hospital with minor injuries.