Hay Bales Lead To Crash On Route 2 Near Dixon

DIXON — A Rock Falls man was injured after his vehicle struck a loader that was removing hay bales from Illinois Route 2 west of Dixon last Friday, according to the Lee County Sheriff’s Office. Deputies responded to a reported two vehicle crash at Route 2 and River Lane at about 4:30 p.m. A preliminary investigation found a truck hauling hay bales lost two bales onto the roadway, creating an obstruction in an eastbound lane. Deputies were responding to assist with traffic control after receiving a report of the hazard about 10 minutes earlier. Authorities said a 64-year-old Dixon man was using a loader tractor to remove the hay bales when an SUV driven by a 42-year-old Rock Falls man struck the loader while traveling eastbound. He was taken to OSF St. Katharine Medical Center in Dixon and later transferred to OSF Saint Anthony Medical Center in Rockford for further treatment. A passenger in the SUV and the tractor driver were treated and released at the scene. The crash remains under investigation by the Lee County Sheriff’s Office.