MCHENRY COUNTY, Illinois — A semi-truck driver was killed Monday evening after a farming accident involving a grain chute brought down live power lines on a rural road near Hebron, according to the McHenry County Sheriff’s Office.

First responders were called around 5:17 p.m. to County Line Road south of Jackson Road after farm equipment struck an overhead power line. Deputies said a 56-year-old man from Hebron was operating a John Deere 9520RX tractor pulling a Brent 2096 grain cart while offloading grain into a semi-trailer truck parked nearby.

During the process, the Avalanche grain chute on the cart made contact with the power lines, tearing them down. The live wires hit the tractor, electrifying it. When the 38-year-old Woodstock man driving the semi approached the tractor and attempted to climb aboard, he was electrocuted and killed instantly, authorities said.

The tractor operator was taken to OSF St. Anthony Medical Center in Rockford in fair condition. ComEd crews responded to shut down the power and assist investigators at the scene.

According to CBS News Chicago, both the McHenry County Sheriff’s Office Major Crash Investigation Unit and the Coroner’s Office are continuing to investigate the incident.

📸 Image(s) used under fair use for news reporting.

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