Dec. 4, 2016 – Town of Polk, WI – On December 4 at 9:54 a.m. the Washington County Sheriff’s Office was notified of a multi-vehicle crash on I41 at Cedar Creek Road in the Town of Polk. Sheriff’s Deputies and rescue personnel from the Slinger Fire Department and Lifestar Rescue were subsequently dispatched to the scene.
An on-scene investigation revealed the following: A northbound vehicle driven by an 18-year-old Neenah woman lost control and struck a northbound guardrail. A second northbound vehicle, driven by a 24-year-old Manitowoc woman, attempted to avoid this collision, lost control, slid through the grassy median, and entered the southbound lanes.
She was subsequently struck by a southbound vehicle driven by a 33-year-old South Milwaukee woman. A fourth vehicle, driven by a 75-year-old Glendale woman, swerved to avoid the southbound collision and struck a southbound guardrail. Two of the drivers were transported to area hospitals by ambulance for what is believed to be non-life threatening injuries. A thin layer of snow/slush was beginning to accumulate on the roadway at the time of the crash.
I41 southbound between State Highway 144 and State Highway 60 was closed for approximately 1.5 hours to facilitate rescue and clean-up efforts.
The detour utilized STH 144, STH 175 and STH 60 in the Village of Slinger.
The Washington County Sheriff’s Office received assistance at the scene from the Wisconsin State Patrol, Slinger Police Department, and Washington County Highway Department.
Driving too fast for conditions appears to be the main contributing factor. However, the matter remains under investigation by the Sheriff’s Office.