In a sobering reminder of the dangers of impaired driving, a wrong-way crash on I-39 near DeForest, Wisconsin has resulted in one fatality and several injuries early this morning. The Wisconsin State Patrol reports that the collision occurred after a full-size SUV, suspected to be traveling southbound in the northbound lanes, struck a compact SUV, as per FOX6.
The tragic outcome of the initial collision saw the passenger of the compact SUV pronounced dead at the scene, while the other driver was transported via helicopter with injuries. Fox6Now detailed that the full-size SUV was fully engulfed in flames. The driver of the full-size SUV, who has been taken to the hospital with injuries, was arrested for operating while impaired (OWI). In a reconstruction that followed, traffic continued to be disrupted by a secondary crash.
According to CBS58, the secondary incident involved a sedan veering across the median, colliding with an unoccupied Deforest police squad car that was parked on the left shoulder, its emergency lights engaged. Both occupants of the sedan were transported with injuries, and, mirroring the first disastrous event, the driver of the sedan was also arrested for OWI.
As investigations unfolded, a litany of agencies assisted in the emergency response, including the Dane County Sheriff’s Office, Columbia County Sheriff’s Office, and the Arlington Fire Department, among others. A report by WMTV15 News added that both crashes necessitated thorough reviews, with reconstructions of the scenes conducted to determine the precise causation of each wreck. All names involved in the incidents are being withheld pending the notification of next of kin.
