Three intoxicated drivers hit each other in fiery highway crash, Wisconsin cops say

Every driver was intoxicated in a fiery, three-vehicle crash on a Wisconsin highway over the weekend, police say.

A Ford F-250 truck driving in the wrong lane smashed into an SUV shortly before 3 a.m. Sunday in Mount Pleasant. The driver of the SUV attempted to swerve out of the way but he was hit head-on and the vehicle burst into flames, police say.

Shortly after the collision, a Chevy Equinox crashed into the Ford F-250, police say.

The driver of the SUV that caught on fire left the scene before officers arrived, police say. He was later found at a hospital.

The two drivers who remained at the scene and the driver who went to the hospital all “showed signs of impairment,” police say. All three men were charged with operating a vehicle while intoxicated.

It was the third driving while intoxicated charged for one of the drivers.

“We have too many people who are repeat offenders causing serious accidents and these people have serious alcohol problems,” Wisconsin State Sen. Alberta Darling told TMJ. “The most important thing is that we have to prevent repeat offenders because that’s our greatest problem.”

In 2019, 140 people died and nearly 3,000 were injured in alcohol-related crashes on Wisconsin roads, according to state officials. That figure has dropped from nearly 3,000 deaths from drunk driving crashes in 1979, following changes in legislation and enforcement, officials say.

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