Wausau Pilot & Review
Two people are injured, one seriously, after a police chase Tuesday south of Wausau that ended when a suspect traveling the wrong way on I-39 struck a semi tractor trailer head on.
The crash was reported at about 7:35 p.m. June 11 in the northbound lanes of the highway, just south of Maple Ridge Road in Kronenwetter. Multiple agencies were paged to the scene of the crash, and a portion of northbound I-39 was shut down for more than 8 hours. The Wisconsin Department of Transportation reports the highway reopened at about 4:15 a.m. Wednesday and traffic is now flowing normally.
The Wisconsin Department of Justice Division of Criminal Investigation (DCI) is investigating the circumstances surrounding the crash. Officials say the incident unfolded at about 7:25 p.m. when a Kronenwetter Police officer tried to stop the driver, who allegedly fled from police and headed south on the northbound off-ramp of I-39. The driver then crashed head-on into a northbound semi.
The driver, who was the only person inside the vehicle, was transported to a local hospital, where they remain. The semi driver was treated for non-life threatening injuries and the officer involved is on administrative leave, as agency policy requires.
The names, ages and genders of the people involved have not been released. Police have not said what prompted the traffic stop the led to the crash.
The involved officer was wearing a body camera, DCI officials said.
This is the third wrong-way crash in recent weeks along the Hwy. 51/I-39 corridor. A May 27 crash on I-39 near the Hwy. 153 off-ramp took the life of Quinn Clarke, who was an assistant coach of the Wausau area’s co-op lacrosse team. Clarke died after striking a semi head-on, police said. And on June 10, a 51-year-old Rhinelander man died after a woman driving the wrong way on Hwy. 51 near Tomahawk crashed into his utility van. The 20-year-old woman, from Crandon, was airlifted to Aspirus Wausau Hospital. Both crashes remain under investigation.
DCI agents are assisted by the Wisconsin State Patrol Technical Reconstruction Unit, Mountain Bay Police Department, Marathon County Sheriff’s Office, Mosinee Police Department and a DCI Crime Response Specialist. All involved law enforcement are fully cooperating with DCI during this investigation.
DCI will turn over investigative reports to the Marathon County District Attorney when the investigation concludes.
