A significant collision between a semi-trailer truck and a van claimed nine lives and left one critically injured on a Wisconsin highway on March 8, 2024. The semi-trailer was carrying milk when the accident occurred, according to reports.
The accident happened at the intersection of Highway 95 and County Road J in Dewhurst Township, central Wisconsin. The semi-trailer, heading east on Highway 95, collided with a van traveling north on County Road J just before 8 a.m. The truck ended up in a ditch, and its driver was thrown from the vehicle. The van was discovered on its side, engulfed in flames with seven passengers ejected and two remaining inside.
The crash resulted in the immediate death of eight of the van’s occupants, including its driver, and the truck driver. A surviving passenger from the van was rushed to a local hospital for treatment.
According to local sources, seven victims belonged to an Amish community in Burke’s Garden, Tazewell County, Virginia.
While the Clark County Sheriff’s Department has not yet officially released the victims’ identities, a community-established hotline has provided the names and ages of eight victims, including the van’s driver, James McCoy, about 45, from Pounding Mill, Virginia. The other victims listed were Linda Byler, 44; Linda’s daughters Lydia Byler, 24, and Ellen Schrock, 23; Orlah Schrock, 24, Ellen’s husband; Judy Rose Schrock, 6-month-old daughter of Ellen and Orlah; Delilah Schrock, 21, Orlah’s sister; and Suzanna Hertzler, 18.
The sole survivor of the crash, approximately two-year-old Micah Schrock, is currently receiving medical attention. A fundraising initiative has started to assist the families affected by this tragic incident.
The semi-trailer was driven by 51-year-old Daniel Liddicoat, a trucker and manager of his family’s milk-trucking business in Iowa County, Wisconsin. Liddicoat was also a former high school girls’ basketball coach.
Wisconsin Governor Tony Evers expressed his deep sorrow over the catastrophic event on social media, stating, “Kathy and I are deeply saddened by the fatal crash in Clark County, which tragically claimed nine lives today. Our hearts and prayers are with the families and loved ones of those lost, as well as with the first responders who acted swiftly at the scene.”
The incident’s death toll surpasses any yearly total in Clark County since 2019, according to the Wisconsin Department of Transportation’s records. This crash ties for the second deadliest in Wisconsin’s history, equal to a 1937 accident in Manitowoc County that also resulted in nine fatalities, as documented by Wisconsin Watch.
The investigation into the accident is ongoing, with the Wisconsin State Patrol assisting the Clark County Sheriff’s Office.
The crash led to the temporary closure of nearby roads, with detours established around the crash site. The public was requested to avoid the area until the completion of the investigation and the reopening of the roadway.
