



CALEDONIA (WITI) -- Caledonia police say a flip-flop led to a two-vehicle crash in the Village of Caledonia on Wednesday afternoon, August 27th -- and one of the vehicles was hauling a camel!



It happened around noon on Highway G near Highway V.



Police say a 28-year-old Milwaukee woman was headed south on Highway V in a car when her flip-flop got caught and she was unable to stop at a stop sign.



A pickup truck, being driven east on Highway G by a 35-year-old Racine man, towing a trailer hauling a camel, struck the woman's vehicle and then went into the ditch on the south side of the road.



The 35-year-old operator of the pickup truck suffered a possible broken leg and complained of back pain.



The camel (named Eli) didn't appear to be injured. We're told the camel was headed back to a nearby farm at the time of the crash.



"The truck is totaled. The truck is done. There's no axle left on the truck. (The driver) is going to be off of work for awhile," Kathy Meyer with Jo-Don Farms said.



Jo-Don Farms operates the camel ride and pony ride at the Milwaukee County Zoo.



"Eli has some jobs to help us with over this Labor Day weekend. We`re really busy. We keep two -- usually two camels at the zoo and because we`re so busy at other jobs and everything, we brought Eli back to help us out," Meyer said.



Jo-Don is more of a zoo than a typical farm. It boasts lions and tigers and more.



Later Wednesday, Eli was back among his friends at the farm. Meyer says despite the damage to the truck hauling Eli, the trailer he was in managed to stay upright.



"Eli is perfectly fine. Not a mark on him. We checked him as soon as we got to the scene," Meyer said.



Meyer says while they're glad Eli is safe, the crash has put them in a tough spot.



"This being a holiday weekend, it's going to hurt us drastically. It was one of our best staff that I am out right now. He won't be able to work and we need the truck," Meyer said.



The 28-year-old Milwaukee woman and a juvenile male passenger in her vehicle weren't injured, however, the woman was cited for failure to yield the right of way from a stop sign, causing injury.