A wrong-way crash on U.S. Highway 53 near Minong left two men dead Wednesday evening, with a southbound vehicle crossing into the northbound lanes before slamming into oncoming traffic. James Paske, 80, of Minong, and Nicholas Groszbach, 47, of Hibbing, Minnesota, were identified as the men killed, and each was the only occupant of his vehicle.
Crash Closed Highway for Hours
The collision happened near mile post 191 in Douglas County shortly before 6 p.m. Wednesday, according to the Duluth News Tribune. Preliminary evidence indicated that a vehicle traveling southbound entered the northbound lanes of US 53 before colliding with a vehicle headed north, the paper reported. The crash forced the northbound lanes of the highway to close for about three hours while crews worked the scene, according to RadioUSA.
Emergency crews from across the area converged on the rural stretch of highway. The Washburn and Douglas counties’ sheriff offices, Gordon Emergency Medical Services, Wascott Fire and EMS, and Minong Fire all responded to the crash, per the same account from the Duluth News Tribune.
Victims Identified a Day Later
Authorities released the names of the two men the following day. The Wisconsin State Patrol identified the drivers as Nicholas Groszbach of Hibbing and 80-year-old James Paske of Minong, according to Northern News Now. As of that report, authorities had not said which man was driving the vehicle that was traveling the wrong way in the northbound lanes.
Separately, according to DrydenWire.com, the crash involved a 2016 Toyota Sienna and a 2025 Toyota Corolla, with Paske driving the Sienna and Groszbach driving the Corolla. The crash remains under investigation by the Wisconsin State Patrol, which has not yet released further details on how the collision unfolded.
