STEVENS POINT, Wis. — Police suspect a 37-year-old man was drunk when he flipped his vehicle Friday on I-39, causing up to 20 crashes and snarling traffic for hours on the busy highway.
The crash happened at about 6 p.m. Friday near Hwy. HH in Portage County. Police say Joshua Cisewski, of Stevens Point, was traveling southbound on I-39 when he lost control of his vehicle, crossed the median and rolled into the northbound lane of the highway. Cisewski was driving without insurance, according to court records
That crash triggered a chain of crashes involving at least 10 vehicles in the northbound lanes, police said. Several injuries were reported and one crash victim was transported via helicopter to Aspirus Wausau Hospital with serious injuries.
Several vodka bottles were found inside Cisewski’s vehicle, according to the Portage County Sheriff’s Department. Cisewski was arrested after a security guard at AIG Insurance called police to report an apparently intoxicated and injured man was discovered hiding at the property, according to a news release.
Several traffic citations were filed Monday in Portage County Circuit Court, where Cisewski was ordered held on a $20,000 cash bond. Prosecutors say they anticipate charges of operating while intoxicated, resisting or obstructing an officer, taking and driving a vehicle without the owner’s consent, bail jumping and operating with a prohibited alcohol concentration with a minor in the vehicle.
An initial appearance is set for Dec. 3.
