One dead following head-on collision in Town of Omro
One person was killed and another injured following a head-on collision Wednesday. According to an article by the Oshkosh Northwestern, the crash involved a semitrailer and another vehicle. The collision happened just before noon last Wednesday (January 4) on State Highway 21, just east of Omro, authorities confirmed. “The male driver of the passenger vehicle […]
One person was killed and another injured following a head-on collision Wednesday. According to an article by the Oshkosh Northwestern, the crash involved a semitrailer and another vehicle.
The collision happened just before noon last Wednesday (January 4) on State Highway 21, just east of Omro, authorities confirmed.
“The male driver of the passenger vehicle was pronounced dead at the scene, about ¼ mile east of Sand Pit Road, Winnebago County Sheriff’s Lt. Joe Kroncke told USA TODAY NETWORK-Wisconsin,” the article reads. “The driver of the semi was not injured but taken to a hospital as a precaution.”
As of about 10:38 a.m. Thursday, January 5, authorities had not released the man’s name, pending notification of his family.
There is no mention in the article whether or not the semitrailer driver is facing any charges in connection to the fatal crash.
“The highway was closed until about 4 p.m. from Winnebago County FF to Sand Pit Road, as the Sheriff’s Office reconstruction team continued its investigation, Kroncke said,” the article reads. “Authorities rerouted westbound traffic at Leonard Point Road to Reighmoor Road, with the detour reversed for eastbound traffic.”
In addition to the sheriff’s and coroner’s offices, the Oshkosh Fire Department and the Town of Omro First Responders also responded to the scene.
The crash follows an announcement from the Department of Transportation that traffic fatalities are on the rise in Wisconsin, with 588 people killed in crashes on Wisconsin roads in 2016, which is 33 more than the previous year and 40 more than the five-year average.
The 588 death toll was the highest since 2012, when 601 people were killed on state roads. The DOT attributes the high fatality rate to low gas prices and a better economy.
