NORWAY – Alcohol and speed contributed to a two-vehicle collision here Wednesday night that seriously injured a driver, according to the Racine County Sheriff’s Office.
Sheriff’s deputies responded to a crash at Highway 36 and South Wind Lake Road in the Town of Norway at 11:09 p.m. Wednesday. Upon arrival, they found a white box truck on the highway shoulder with driver-side damage and a Toyota Tacoma, in the ditch, with damage to its front and passenger sides.
Speed, alcohol and failure to stop
The initial investigation indicated that the Toyota, traveling westbound on Wind Lake Road at a high rate of speed, failed to stop at the Highway 36 stop sign and drove into the side of the box truck. The Toyota then ricocheted off the box truck, traveled east over the highway median and came to rest in the northbound Highway 36 ditch.
The driver of the Toyota, identified only as a 46-year-old Eagle man, was seriously injured. Deputies and first responders from Waterford Rescue removed him from the vehicle as smoke started to spread from the engine compartment. He was transported to Froedtert Hospital with life-threatening injuries. The driver of the box truck was not injured.
Sheriff’s deputies obtained a search warrant to have medical personnel at the hospital obtain a legal blood draw from the Toyota driver. The driver has five prior convictions for Operating While Intoxicated (OWI) and the Sheriff’s Office will be recommending charges for OWI-6th offense.
The accident was investigated by the Sheriff’s Office Major Crash Team and the Wisconsin State Patrol.
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