Two more accidents on I-94

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Tuesday saw two more accidents on I-94 in western Wisconsin, both involving semis.

At 11:15 p.m., the Wisconsin State Patrol responded to a crash involving two semis. One of the semi drivers, Brian Lee Paglusch, 43, from Minnesota died at the scene.

The accident occurred at milepost 42.5 in Dunn County near Menomonie.

According to the State Patrol, the crash involved two semis westbound on I-94. A semi owned by Louisiana Transportation was rear ended by a semi owned by Viessman Trucking which resulted in a fire.

Paglusch was the driver of the Viessman semi. The driver of the first unit, Destry Donn Wilson, 22, from California was uninjured.

Westbound I-94 traffic was rerouted for about six hours as the crash scene was processed and cleaned up.

Assisting agencies included Dunn County Sheriff Department, Menomonie Police Department, Dunn County Highway Department, Menomonie Fire Department, and Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources.

Earlier in the morning, a woman was transported directly to Regions Hospital, following a head-on crash involving a 2006 Subaru station wagon and a semi-truck on Interstate 94 between Roberts and Hammond.

The crash was the second serious truck-versus-passenger vehicle crash in St. Croix County in less than 24 hours.

The Tuesday accident did not occur in the vicinity of any construction activity. Monday's accident did.

The crash occurred at 11:17 a.m. after an eastbound car apparently ran across the median, striking the driver's side of the westbound semi-, which was pulling a flatbed trailer with a large piece of construction equipment.

At 7:04 p.m. Tuesday, the State Patrol identified the car's driver as Emily R. Sadowski, 22, of Green Bay. She received severe injuries in the crash.

The semi-driver, who was uninjured, was identified as Lexie Threshtler Aiken, 47, of Barnwell, South Carolina.

EMS and fire personnel from Roberts-Warren and River Falls responded and extricated Sadowski. An officer told his dispatcher CPR was being performed at the scene but she was transported by River Falls Ambulance to Regions Hospital in St. Paul.

The driver of the semi was not injured.

The crash closed the left lanes both directions but the freeway remained open with traffic moving slowly past the scene on respective shoulders.

The State Patrol reopened all lanes at about 1:15 p.m.

Cars and trucks were backed up several miles in both directions.

Tags: news, wisconsin, accidents