DE FOREST, Wis. — A Montevideo woman is dead and five others are injured, including a Clara City man, following a wrong-way crash early Sunday morning on Interstate 39 near De Forest, Wisconsin.
According to the Wisconsin State Patrol, the crash occurred at 12:03 a.m. on July 20. Authorities say a 2024 Chevrolet Suburban was traveling south in the northbound lanes when it struck a 2013 Volkswagen Tiguan head-on. The Suburban became fully engulfed in flames following the impact.
The passenger in the Tiguan, an 18-year-old woman from Montevideo, Minnesota, was pronounced dead at the scene. The driver, a 19-year-old man from Clara City, Minnesota, was airlifted with life-threatening injuries. The driver of the Suburban, identified as 30-year-old Noelia Martinez Avila of Portage, was hospitalized with non-life-threatening injuries. She was arrested on suspicion of operating while impaired.
While officials were investigating the crash, a separate incident occurred in the southbound lanes. A 2007 Acura TL crossed the yellow line and hit a parked, unoccupied DeForest Police Department squad car. The vehicle’s emergency lights were activated at the time. Both occupants of the Acura, a 23-year-old man from McFarland and a 23-year-old woman from Oconomowoc, were taken to the hospital with injuries. The driver was also arrested for suspected impairment.
Multiple law enforcement and emergency agencies assisted at the scene, including UW MedFlight, several local police departments, and fire and EMS crews.
The crash remains under investigation. Names of the victims are being withheld pending notification of family.
