GERMANTOWN 鈥 A 19-year-old female died after a crash that occurred during a police chase Friday morning, the Germantown Fire Department (GFD) announced in a news release.
According to the Germantown Police Department (GPD), the incident began early Friday when a GPD officer attempted to perform a stop for a traffic violation when a vehicle accelerated away from the officer. The vehicle continued moving at a high rate of speed before blowing through a stop sign and continuing down a gravel road as the pursuing squad tried to catchup. The vehicle appeared to lose control on the gravel road and struck a tree, catching on fire.
Following the crash, the GFD was dispatched to the intersection of Division Road at Donges Bay Road in Germantown with reports of three individuals that were trapped inside the vehicle.
Upon arrival, fire units found the vehicle extinguished by GPD officers, but the patients were still trapped in the vehicle. Upon investigation, it was found that two of the patients, the driver and one of the passengers, had life-threatening injuries, while one of the passengers had non-life-threatening injuries.
In response, the GFD called for support from surrounding departments as well as Flight for Life units to transport the critically injured patients. However, following the patients鈥 extrication from the vehicle, the 19-year-old female succumbed to her injuries before she could be flown out. The driver, a 19-year-old male, was flown out to Froedtert Memorial Hospital in Milwaukee, and the other passenger, a 17-year-old male, was transported via ambulance to Children鈥檚 Hospital in Milwaukee. The release also stated that no updates regarding the patients鈥 conditions are available.
Division Road was closed between Virginia Avenue and Donges Bay Road for about two hours, and crews were on the scene for close to four hours. The crash is under investigation by the Wisconsin State Patrol and the Washington County Sheriff鈥檚 Office.
