2 dead, incl. a child, after Lafayette Co. crash involving semi-truck, sheriff’s office reports

MADISON, Wis. (WMTV) - A driver of a pickup truck and a child are dead after a crash in Lafayette County involving a semi-truck, according to the sheriff’s office on Tuesday.

A crash between a pickup truck and semi-truck hauling a trailer was reported to the Lafayette County Communication Center around 1:55 p.m. Tuesday, with the caller indicating there were multiple people in the pickup truck suffering severe injuries.

Authorities determined the semi-truck, owned by Swift Transportation Company, was heading westbound in the 8000 block of State Highway 11, in Gratiot Township, at the same time as a Ford F-150 was heading eastbound on the roadway. Lafayette County officials reported the pickup truck crossed over the center line and the two vehicles collided.

The F-150 eventually ended up against the guardrail on the north side of State Highway 11, and the semi hit the guardrail after trying to avoid the collision.

The Lafayette County Coroner’s Office determined the driver of a pickup truck and a girl in the rear passenger seat had died at the scene. The agency identified the driver as Jason Michael Richardson, 27, of Monroe.

The sheriff’s office noted an ambulance took a passenger in the front seat of the pickup, a 27-year-old Monroe resident, to a hospital. Lafayette Co. officials did not indicate if the 30-year-old Indiana semi-truck driver was hurt.

The highway was closed for about five hours while authorities investigated and cleared the scene of the crash, according to Lafayette County officials.

The Lafayette Co. Sheriff’s Office indicated the fatal crash is under investigation, with assistance from the Wisconsin State Patrol Reconstruction scene.

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