UPDATED: 2 killed in crash on Highway 11
JANESVILLE—Two Footville residents were killed Wednesday night when their car slid into oncoming traffic on Highway 11 west of Janesville and collided with an oncoming semitrailer truck.
Killed were the driver, Jaime Paiz-Gutierrez, 41, and his passenger, Guadalupe Ortiz, 45, according to the Rock County Sheriff’s Office.
Deputies were dispatched at 9:28 p.m. to the report of a crash on Highway 11 west or Roherty Road in the town of Center. They found Paiz-Gutierrez had lost control of his Volkswagen Beetle on the slippery road. It crossed the centerline into the path of an oncoming semi driven by Jeffrey B. Smith, 46, Rockford, Ill. The truck collided with the passenger side of the car, according to the sheriff’s office. Both people in the car were wearing seat belts but were declared dead at the scene by Rock County Chief Deputy Coroner Lou Smit.
Smith was treated and released at Mercy Hospital and Trauma Center in Janesville, according to the sheriff’s office.
Highway 11 was closed for nearly five hours while deputies investigated.
Poor road conditions were a “major contributing factor” in the crash, and no citations were issued.
