May 23, 2024 – Washington Co., WI – On Thursday, May 23, 2024, at approximately 11:07 a.m., the Washington County Sheriff’s Office Communications Center received information of a white Ford car traveling south on Interstate 41 at speeds exceeding 100 mph and passing other vehicles on the shoulder. This information was provided to sheriff’s deputies; however, no deputy was on Interstate 41 in the immediate area to intervene.
Eight minutes later, at 11:15 a.m., the communications center received numerous calls of a multi-vehicle crash involving injuries on Hwy. 164 near Pioneer Road in the Village of Richfield.
Deputies from the Sheriff’s Office and Troopers from the Wisconsin State Patrol were dispatched. Richfield Fire and Rescue also responded to the scene.
Upon the Sheriff’s Office arrival, multiple vehicles with significant damage were observed just south of Pioneer Road. The operators of the three involved vehicles were assessed, with no significant injury found. Richfield Rescue took over further patient assessment, transporting the at-fault male operator from the scene.
The crash investigation determined that the white Ford car reported to the communications center as driving erratically on Interstate 41 was the at-fault vehicle in the Hwy 164 crash.
The southbound Ford vehicle, driven by a 36-year-old Mayville resident, went left of center and struck a northbound GMC truck, driven by a 54-year-old Richfield resident. This initial collision ripped off the front tire of the GMC truck, resulting in the tire striking another southbound vehicle, driven by a 74-year-old Richfield resident.
Alcohol appears to be a driver factor in causing the driver’s left-of-center operation in the Ford car. The operator was arrested for OWI 5th offense and multiple other violations. The Sheriff’s Office is still investigating the crash.
Wisconsin State Patrol closed a portion of Hwy 164 for approximately 1½ hours to assist with scene cleanup.
