A Belleville man, a man and woman from Crandon, and a man and woman from Minnesota were the five people killed in a fiery crash in the town of Verona late Friday night, authorities reported.
No names have been released, but the Dane County Sheriff’s Office said those killed were a 55-year-old Belleville man, a 55-year-old woman and a 54-year-old man from Crandon in northeastern Wisconsin, and a 48-year-old woman and a 48-year-old man from Brooklyn Park, Minnesota. They were riding in a 2016 Tesla Model S.
The Dane County Medical Examiner’s Office will release the names.
The crash happened about 11:10 p.m. Friday when a vehicle heading north on Range Trail left the road near the Scheidegger Forest, struck a tree and burst into flames, Lt. Don Dudley said in a statement.
All five were pronounced dead at the scene.
People are also reading…
The Sheriff’s Office Crash Reconstruction Team responded to the scene, but the cause of the crash has not been determined, sheriff’s office spokesperson Elise Schaffer said in a statement.
A resident who lives near the crash site said people often drive fast around the curve that is marked with a sign and a speed limit of 35 mph.
“If you go beyond that speed, you are not going to make that turn,” said the woman, who asked that her name not be used. “I’m not sure if they were driving fast because I didn’t hear anything.”
She said she was upstairs folding clothes late Friday and was surprised she didn’t hear anything, including sirens.
“We sometimes have deer that come at you. Sometimes people drive past the stop sign without stopping,” the woman said. The sign is about 100 yards before the turn.
“It was a devastating weekend on Dane County roads,” Sheriff Kalvin Barrett said in a statement. “The Sheriff’s Office alone responded to two crashes that resulted in seven fatalities. Our hearts go out to the families and friends of the victims who are mourning the untimely loss of their loved ones. Please give driving your full attention to reduce crashes and make our roads safer.”
