Among those of a maze of motorists suddenly stopping on I-39/90 Tuesday as a chain reaction crash unfolded was Janesville's Paul Matchett.
"And then we could see the plume of smoke starting to rise," Matchett said.
Matchett's photos from the scene of the roadway chaos near Janesville show incredible damage, with crashed, burned vehicles strewn across lanes. But authorities said no lives were lost.
"It could have been a lot worse," Matchett says. "There were a lot of bystanders that were there initially in the first couple of cars behind the accident springing into action.."
Matchett himself sprang into action. He's part of a non-profit, disaster relief group and has also worked as a firefighter and emergency medical technician in the past.