The combination of drunk driving and speeding can be a dangerous situation that often ends with a fatal car accident. Three men recently survived an auto accident that the Milwaukee County Sheriff’s Department said was caused by a drunk driver hurtling over Hoan Bridge.
The suspected DUI crash happened at about 11:20 p.m. A Cadillac was reported northbound along Interstate 794, traveling at an excessive rate of speed. The car driver lost control of the vehicle just north of the bridge arches.
The Cadillac smashed into a wall in the median and continued to move forward about 300 feet until the car hit a utility pole. The force of the collision spun the car back into the travel lanes of the bridge. Milwaukee fire crews said the damage to the Cadillac was so extensive that the car’s three occupants were trapped inside until rescuers could remove them. All of the men were transported to Wauwatosa’s Froedtert Hospital.
None of the men suffered life-threatening injuries, but two of the accident victims were arrested. Milwaukee sheriff’s deputies took the 51-year-old Cadillac driver into custody for a second drunk driving offense. One of the car’s passengers is wanted on two outstanding warrants and will be arrested following treatment for his injuries.
As emergency personnel were clearing the alleged DUI crash from the bridge, a second accident took place. An SUV braking suddenly to avoid hitting the existing crash-site was rear-ended by a Chevrolet Malibu.
Police did not fault either driver for the secondary crash. Accident cleanup for both crashes took more than one hour for crews to clear.
Source: JSOnline.com, “Speed, alcohol caused crash on Hoan Bridge, authorities say,” Gitte Laasby, Jan. 8, 2012
