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Nine dead, one injured after semi-truck and van collide at Wisconsin highway intersection: Sheriff

By Meredith Deliso, ABC News Mar 9, 2024 | 11:45 AM
Douglas Sacha/Getty Images

(CLARK COUNTY, Wisconsin) — Nine people were killed and one was injured after a semi-trailer truck collided with a van at a highway intersection in Wisconsin, authorities said.

The incident occurred in Dewhurst Township in central Wisconsin on Friday, at the intersection of Highway 95 and County Road J, according to the Clark County Sheriff’s Office.

The tractor-trailer was traveling eastbound on Highway 95 and the van was traveling northbound on County Road J when the crash occurred shortly before 8 a.m. local time. The van was struck by the semi as it entered the intersection, according to preliminary reports, the sheriff’s office said.

Eight people in the van, including the driver, and the driver of the semi were pronounced dead at the scene, the sheriff’s office said. The lone survivor, a passenger in the van, was transported to a local hospital for their injuries, the sheriff’s office said. Their condition was not released.

The names of those involved are not being released pending family notification.

“Kathy and I are saddened today by the fatal crash that occurred in Clark County, tragically taking nine lives,” Wisconsin Gov. Tony Evers said on X. “Our hearts and prayers go out to the families and loved ones of all those involved, as well as the first responders who worked quickly to provide support at the scene.”

Aerial footage of the scene from ABC Twin Cities affiliate KTSP showed extensive damage to both vehicles following the crash, with the semi lying in a ditch off the side of the highway and the van on its side nearby. The scene has since been cleared.

The investigation remains ongoing. The sheriff’s office said the Wisconsin State Patrol is assisting.

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