A wrong-way crash on Interstate 43 early Monday claimed the lives of two people and left two others hospitalized, the Ozaukee County Sheriff’s Office confirmed.
Around 12:45 a.m., 911 callers reported a vehicle traveling south in the northbound lanes near Jay Road in the Town of Belgium. The vehicle soon collided head-on with an SUV near County Highway H in Port Washington.
The 34-year-old Milwaukee man driving the wrong-way vehicle was critically injured and transported by medical helicopter after initial treatment. The SUV’s 51-year-old female driver and 56-year-old male front passenger, both from Oostburg, were pronounced dead at the scene. A 22-year-old woman riding in the back seat was hospitalized.
Authorities are investigating whether alcohol or drugs played a role. Names are being withheld pending family notification. Northbound I-43 was closed for about five hours following the crash.