1 Killed, 3 Hurt After Rollover Crash On I-90/94

One person was killed and three others were injured after a high-speed chase ended in a rollover crash on Interstate 90/4 on Saturday afternoon.

A Columbia County sheriff’s deputy saw a vehicle traveling westbound on the interstate at a high rate of speed near the interchange with Interstate 39 in the Town of Caledonia at about 3:23 p.m. 

The deputy attempted to pull over the vehicle, but the driver didn’t pull over and increased the vehicle’s speed to over 100 MPH while weaving through traffic, authorities said. As the deputy was in pursuit, the speeding vehicle took the exit ramp to Highway 33, but wasn’t able to negotiate the ramp because of the vehicle’s speed, rolled over and crashed.

Two of the vehicle’s four occupants were ejected during the crash. One of the vehicle’s passengers was pronounced dead at the scene. Two other passengers were flown to hospitals by medical helicopters after suffering life-threatening injuries.

The driver of the vehicle, a 22-year-old man from Sparta, was flown by a medical helicopter to the hospital after suffering serious injuries. Authorities said he will be facing numerous felony charges.

The Columbia County Sheriff’s Office said that investigators believe speed and intoxication were factors in the crash. Authorities haven’t released the names of the people involved.

In accordance with state law, detectives from the Waushara County Sheriff’s Office, with assistance from the Sauk County Sheriff’s Office and Adams County Sheriff’s Office, will lead the investigation. The deputy, a 7-year law enforcement veteran, was placed on administrative leave, as is standing protocol, during the investigation.

The exit and entrance ramps for Highway 33 were closed for about five hours during the investigation.