Western Wisconsin News Briefs: Accident closes I-94 near Eau Claire this morning

Talk about it

EAU CLAIRE - Traffic on Interstate 94 near Eau Claire was shut down for more than two hours this morning after a semi tractor-trailer truck slammed into a guard rail and caught fire.

The road was closed while emergency responders put the flames out and cleared the surface of the roadway. The driver of the big truck said he dropped something and lost control as he reached for it, crashing to the guard rail and cement barriers before stopping in the middle of the westbound lanes. The truck was quickly engulfed by the flames. Traffic was detoured to U.S. Highway 53 north, to Wisconsin Highway 29 west, then back to I-94 while the road was closed.

_________________________________________________________________________

A calf which wandered onto a road in Lafayette County was hit three times, by three different vehicles, in a matter of a couple of minutes last night. The driver of the third vehicle, 34 year old Jennifer Davis of Darlington, suffered minor injuries. The calf died. The three crashes were reported starting at 9:31 p.m. on Wisconsin 23 in the town of Willow Springs. Two of the three vehicles were damaged badly enough they had to be towed from the scene.

_________________________________________________________________________

A memorial service was held today for a father and son found shot to death in their photography shop last weekend just across Minnesota's southeastern border in La Crosse, Wisconsin. Police have not released any new information and are still looking for suspects in the murders of 56-year-old Paul Petras and his 19-year-old son A.J. A family friend ordered green-and-white memorial bracelets to sell, with the proceeds going to the Petras family memorial fund. Both men were avid boaters and the money raised will help create memorial benches at two local boat clubs.

_________________________________________________________________________

The state DNR says at least six hunting dogs have been killed by wolves in Wisconsin this year. The latest incident was in Bayfield County, where a hound was helping a hunter in the town of Bell when the animal was attacked and killed. The DNR announced the incident, saying hunters should be aware of the conflicts involving wolves and hunting dogs – and to use caution in the area. A judge in Madison said hunting dogs could not be used in Wisconsin’s inaugural wolf hunting season that begins in mid-October, for fear those dogs would be hurt or killed.

Tags: western wisconsin, news, wisconsin