A retired River Falls family doctor known for decades of community service is fighting through a long recovery after a high-speed, four-vehicle crash at the intersection of Cemetery Road and Main Street left him unconscious, bleeding, and suffering life-threatening injuries. Police say 79-year-old Dr. David M. Woeste was behind the wheel of a 2025 Toyota RAV4 that struck a fuel tank on a semi-truck after a chain of collisions on August 5, and his family believes a medical emergency triggered the crash.
According to the Pierce County Journal, River Falls police were dispatched to the scene at 4:18 p.m. after 911 callers reported a Toyota RAV4 driving fast and erratically through town. Data pulled from the Life360 app reportedly showed Woeste's RAV4 circling the Radio and Paulson roads roundabout three times before the crash, then reaching 77 mph in a 25-mph zone near Vine Street and hitting 77 mph again on Highway 35 before he took the Main Street exit, per the outlet's reporting. Investigators say his speed dropped to about 42 mph near the Dairy Queen and roughly 10 mph through downtown before the collision.
How the Four Vehicles Collided
Police say Woeste's RAV4 first struck a 2025 Lexus RS driven by 81-year-old Philip Betzel, who was slowing for a red light heading south on Main Street. That impact drove Betzel's Lexus into a 2017 Nissan Pathfinder driven by Loriann Joyce Price, who had already stopped at the red light at the Cemetery Road intersection, according to the same account. Betzel's airbags deployed and his vehicle sustained significant driver-side damage, while Price's Pathfinder suffered rear bumper damage; three children ages 11, 10 and 7 riding with Price were wearing seatbelts, and everyone in her vehicle reported no injuries.
Woeste's RAV4 continued on and struck the fuel tank of a 2022 Peterbilt semi-truck driven by 33-year-old Tyler Stendahl, who was turning south onto Highway 29 from Cemetery Road at the time. Stendahl told police the RAV4 ran a red light before striking his fuel tank and reported no injuries of his own. Woeste's vehicle was left with a destroyed front end and a smashed, caved-in windshield, the Pierce County Journal reported, while the other three vehicles involved were towed from the scene.
A Critical Extrication and Airlift to St. Paul
Emergency crews found Woeste unconscious and bleeding, with labored breathing and a faint pulse. EMS personnel assisted police in extricating him from the wreckage, and he reportedly squeezed an officer's hand before being loaded into an ambulance. He was first transported to River Falls Area Hospital to meet a LifeLink helicopter, which airlifted him to Regions Hospital in St. Paul — a Level 1 Trauma Center verified by the American College of Surgeons and equipped for round-the-clock specialized surgical and critical care, according to Healthgrades. Betzel, meanwhile, sustained suspected minor injuries and was transported by Allina EMS to River Falls Area Hospital. The road at the crash scene was closed for 70 minutes while crews worked.
Woeste's injuries were severe: internal organ damage, a detached pelvic muscle, multiple pelvic fractures, a broken leg, a broken nose, a broken cheek, broken ribs, facial and mouth injuries, and missing teeth, according to a CaringBridge webpage cited by the Journal. He underwent several surgeries and received blood transfusions, and doctors say he may need additional operations. His daughter told police he was in critical condition the day after the crash. As of an August 17 CaringBridge update, family members said he was getting stronger every day and hoped he would soon be moved out of the intensive care unit, though his family says he still faces a long road to recovery.
A Longtime Family Doctor Known for Community Work
Woeste practiced as a family medicine physician in River Falls for roughly 30 years before retiring, according to directory records from WebMD. He remained active in local causes well after retirement; in September 2024, KARE 11 reported that he had hired a 10-year-old local boy battling cancer through a Make-A-Wish initiative, one example of his ongoing ties to the community he served for decades.
Diabetes History and a Suspected Medical Emergency
Woeste has a history of diabetes, and his daughter believes the crash was caused by a medical emergency rather than reckless driving, per the Pierce County Journal's reporting. Severe hypoglycemia, in which blood glucose drops below 70 mg/dL, can cause sudden mental confusion, altered judgment, slowed reaction times, or loss of consciousness that impairs driving similarly to acute alcohol intoxication, according to the American Diabetes Association. The organization recommends that drivers with diabetes check their blood glucose before getting behind the wheel, keep levels above 90 mg/dL, carry fast-acting carbohydrates in the car, and pull over immediately if hypoglycemic symptoms appear.
River Falls police say they will send a Driver Condition or Behavior Report on Woeste to the Wisconsin Department of Transportation. Under state DOT regulations, that report notifies the DMV Medical Review and Fitness Unit whenever an officer's investigation finds a driver exhibited medical or physical impairment, triggering an urgent review within five business days, according to the Wisconsin Department of Transportation. State licensing standards require drivers who experience loss of consciousness or an altered mental state to undergo formal medical re-evaluation, and Wisconsin statute generally requires a minimum 90-day seizure-free period to maintain driving privileges in comparable medical cases. It remains unresolved whether Woeste's driving privileges will ultimately be affected, and the outcome of that review has not been made public.
Part of a Broader Pattern on Pierce County Roads
The crash adds to what local officials have described as a troubling pattern. In May 2025, Pierce County law enforcement and highway officials flagged excessive speed and driver inattention as leading factors behind a rise in severe crashes across the county, according to the Pierce County Journal. The county's Traffic Safety Commission meets quarterly with state transportation liaisons to review site maps, crash diagrams, speed data, and road conditions tied to every fatal or severe injury crash in the county, though it is not yet known whether the commission will examine the Cemetery Road and Main Street intersection for possible signal or signage changes. Statewide, motor vehicle crashes on Wisconsin roads have averaged 619 fatalities and 2,806 nonfatal hospitalizations annually between 2020 and 2024, according to the Wisconsin Department of Health Services.
For now, Woeste's family says he continues to make progress even as his recovery stretches on. The final findings of the River Falls Police Department's investigation, along with any consequences from the state's medical review of his driving status, remain open questions as he continues treatment.
