Law enforcement agencies begin safety crackdown on trucks, trucking companies

“Our ordinary day was destroyed in a split second due to truck negligence,” said Joleen Tichelaar, whose husband was killed by a big truck’s corroded brake drum that dislodged from the truck.Jay Tichelaar was driving on Interstate-94 in Johnson Creek in May 2017. Jay Tichelaar, 51, died instantly.That’s why Milwaukee County Sheriff Richard Schmidt said he started a Joint Truck Enforcement Task Force Monday, promising tickets for truck drivers who violate the law and fines for trucking companies that don’t maintain their trucks properly.

“Suddenly, the brake drum broke apart and threw heavy pieces of metal into the air with intense force and crashed through my loving husband’s windshield, hitting him directly in the face and neck,” Joleen Tichelaar said. “I can’t even put into words the gut-wrenching, heart-wrenching emotions that our children and I have endured since that day.” The truck that ended Jay Tichelaar’s life kept going and officers have not been able to find the driver or company responsible.