Early morning dump truck accident closes northbound Route 12 near Fox Lake

Northbound Route 12 was closed for about four hours early Thursday morning after a dump truck carrying 50,000 pounds of scrap metal overturned near Fox Lake, authorities said.

Lake County Sheriff’s Office Sgt. Karen Kates said the accident occurred about 3:45 a.m. when mechanical issues forced the truck to turn into the grassy median near Molidor Road.

After traveling about 850-feet in the median, the truck rolled onto its drivers side, dumping the scrap metal on the grass and the northbound lanes of Route 12, Kates said.

The road reopened about 7:45 a.m. after towing companies worked to pull the truck upright and crews removed the scrap metal from the highway, she said.

The driver of the truck, who was hauling scrap metal from Indiana to a scrap yard in Wisconsin, was slightly injured in the crash, but refused medical treatment at the scene, Kates said.

The driver was not cited, she said, and no other vehicles were involved in the crash.