RAYMOND – A Kenosha man faces a variety of charges after a three-vehicle collision injured two drivers and temporarily closed part of Interstate 94/41 here early Thursday.
Racine County Sheriff’s deputies responded to the southbound lanes of the freeway just south of Highway K at about 2:35 a.m. where they found a Honda Accord in the middle lanes of traffic, a U-Haul van against the median wall and a Ford Focus off the highway. The drivers of the Focus and the van were injured and the Accord driver had fled the scene on foot.
Preliminary crash investigation
According to the preliminary investigation, the Focus was southbound in lane #2 when it was struck in the rear by the Accord, which was traveling at a high rate of speed. The crash impact caused the Focus to slide off the freeway and into the ditch where it came to rest on the passenger side. The U-Haul van, also traveling southbound, was unable to avoid the Accord and struck the vehicle. The van’s driver then pulled over to the center median. All southbound lanes of I-94/41 were closed until almost 4 a.m. while the crash was investigated and the vehicles cleared from the scene.
The drivers of the Focus and the van were transported to a local hospital with non-life-threatening injuries. Those drivers were not identified.
Intoxicants found in vehicle search
Deputies located the driver of the Accord, identified as Michael Saldana, 22, of Kenosha, walking in a business park just north of Highway 20. He was observed to have “red/glassy eyes, slurred speech and the odor of intoxicants,” according to a news release. In a search of his vehicle, deputies found 3.7 grams of hallucinogenic mushrooms, a grinder and an open can of beer.
Saldana was taken into custody, transported to a local hospital for an investigation blood draw and booked into the Racine County Jail. He was held on $16,500 bail for the following charges:
- Operating While Intoxicated (2nd offense)
- Two counts of Operating While Intoxicated Causing Injury (2nd offense)
- Two counts of Reckless Driving Causing Bodily Harm
- Operating a Vehicle While License Revoked
- Possession of Hallucinogenic Substances
- Possession of Drug Paraphernalia
- Open Intoxicants-driver
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