Emergency crews spent more than two hours rescuing a trapped driver following a serious crash involving two semi trucks south of Taylorville. The Taylorville Fire Department says the crash happened just before 9 Friday morning on Route 48 near Clarksdale.

Dispatchers were alerted to a possible entrapment while crews were on the way. When firefighters arrived, they found two semi-tractor trailers hauling soybeans that had been involved in a significant collision. One person was trapped inside a vehicle and had to be extricated.

Fire crews launched an extensive rescue operation, using multiple extrication tools at the same time to safely free the victim. Because of the severity of the injuries, a medical helicopter was called in to airlift the patient to a trauma center. The Taylorville Fire Department says the incident required a large-scale response and used all available extrication equipment and personnel.

Several agencies assisted at the scene, including the Christian County Sheriff’s Office, Illinois State Police, IDOT, Dunn’s Ambulance, multiple area fire departments, and Air Evac Lifeteam. Fire officials also gave special thanks to Steve Kerwin of Kertows for his on-scene assistance, saying his expertise played a key role in the rescue.

The Taylorville Fire Department says the incident shows the importance of strong cooperation between agencies and thanked everyone involved for their professionalism during the response.