A Thursday afternoon drive on quiet Dodge County backroads ended in tragedy when a 63-year-old Appleton man was killed after his SUV collided with a semi at a rural intersection in the Town of Oak Grove. Around 2:30 p.m. on March 12, investigators say the SUV failed to stop at a stop sign at County Highway A and County Highway W and hit a semi pulling an empty milk tank trailer. Deputies said the SUV driver was thrown from the vehicle, and although first responders attempted life-saving measures, he was pronounced dead at the scene. The semi driver, a 64-year-old man from Reedsville, was not hurt. The crash shut down the intersection and drew a multi-agency response while the sheriff’s crash team began combing through the scene, according to FOX6 News Milwaukee.
A news release from the Dodge County Sheriff's Office, as reported by FOX6 News Milwaukee, said deputies arrived to find a two-vehicle crash at County Highway A and County Highway W and determined the SUV had not stopped for the posted stop sign before striking the semi. The Dodge County Sheriff's Office Crash Investigation Team is handling the case. Assisting agencies included the Juneau Fire Department, Juneau EMS, Horicon Fire Department, Beaver Dam paramedics, the Dodge County Emergency Response Team, Wisconsin State Patrol and the Dodge County Medical Examiner's Office.
Why rural intersections are dangerous
Rural two-lane intersections, especially where stop signs control cross traffic, account for a disproportionate share of high-severity crashes, according to the Wisconsin Department of Transportation. The agency has pushed for safer intersection designs and targeted safety projects to drive those numbers down. WisDOT highlights redesigns such as roundabouts and restricted crossing U-turns and uses public crash-data tools to pinpoint problem spots and guide future safety investments.
Investigation ongoing
The Dodge County Sheriff’s Office Crash Investigation Team is continuing to analyze the scene and the involved vehicles. No criminal charges have been announced, and the medical examiner will complete the county’s official determination of cause of death. FOX6 News Milwaukee reported that the case remains under investigation and that officials have asked anyone with information about the crash to contact the sheriff’s office.
