The deaths of two Fond du Lac County students and the injuries to seven others are being blamed on negligence. The nine teenage girls, injured in the fatal motor vehicle accident, were not wearing seat belts, according to county sheriff’s deputies.
The Campbellsport School District students were traveling together through Ashford just after 3:30 a.m. Police reports say the 18-year-old driver lost control of a Chevrolet Tahoe along Beechnut Drive near Highway 67. Rescuers found the victims and wreckage of the fatal car accident in a field.
Two girls, a 15-year-old and 17-year-old, were pronounced dead at the accident scene. The remaining seven teenage accident victims were transported by air or ambulance to St. Agnes Hospital, Froedtert Hospital in Milwaukee and Children’s Hospital of Wisconsin in Milwaukee.
The driver of the Tahoe and an 18-year-old passenger were listed in satisfactory condition the afternoon following the crash. Four other girls, one 17-year-old and three 16-year-olds, were reported in serious condition. A 16-year-old female remained in critical condition on Sunday.
Investigators do not believe alcohol played a part in the crash, but suspect the Tahoe driver was speeding at the time the accident occurred.
Officials of the Campbellsport School District opened the high school to the families and friends connected to the dead and injured students. Counsellors were employed to provide services for the relatives and students throughout the weekend after the accident.
School officials have not completed plans to address the issue with the district’s larger student population.
Source: Central Wisconsin Hub, “Story, photos, video: Crash claims lives of 2 Campbellsport High School girls, 7 others injured,” Sharon Roznik, Feb. 4, 2012
