MENOMONIE, Wis. (WJMC) — Two fatal crashes in Dunn County happened within minutes of each other on Saturday night.
Dunn County Sheriff Kevin Bygd said the first crash was reported just before 9:30 p.m. Saturday on 960th Street, west of Eau Claire. It appeared a 1961 Jeep was driving south when It had a mechanical issue, causing it to lose control, enter the ditch, overturn and strike a tree. A fire in one of the tires was extinguished by a passerby.
The driver, who was not wearing a seat belt, was trapped inside the Jeep. The 36-year-old man, from Durand, was pronounced deceased at the scene.
His name will be not released until family have been notified.
Two minutes after the report of the first crash, another crash was reported on Highway 79, between Menomonie and Boyceville. A Chevy Silverado was driving south on Highway 79 when a northbound Pontiac G6 crossed the centerline and struck the pickup head-on, causing one of the vehicles to catch fire.
The driver of the Pontiac, a 36-year-old woman from Boyceville, was trapped in the vehicle and pronounced deceased at the scene. The driver of the truck was airlifted to a hospital.
The deceased driver’s name will not be released until family have been notified.