A 42-year-old Waunakee man is dead after the car he was driving traveled into the path of an oncoming tractor-trailer and collided head on with the truck Monday morning, the Columbia County Sheriff's Department said.

The man, whose name had not yet been released Monday night pending notification of his family, hit the semi at 11:19 a.m. Monday on Highway 51 about a half-mile south of Loveland Road in the town of Arlington south of Poynette.

He was pronounced dead at the scene of the crash by the Columbia County medical examiner, authorities said.

The sheriff's department responded to a 911 call of a two-vehicle accident involving a semi and the man's Ford Taurus.

The sheriff's department said an initial investigation of the crash showed the man's car was heading northbound on 51 when it crossed the center line into the path of the truck, hitting it head on.

The impact caused the semi's load of sweet corn to spill on the highway.

The man was not wearing a seat belt, authorities said.

Alcohol did not appear to be a factor in the crash, the sheriff's department said. No further details were released. The crash still is under investigation, authorities said.

The semi's driver, a 44-year-old Clinton man, sustained minor injuries and was treated at the scene by Arlington EMS personnel, authorities said.

Highway 51 was closed for four and a half hours for the initial investigation and cleanup of the spilled corn.