MILWAUKEE — Three people are dead and two others injured after a crash on northbound I-43 early Saturday, according to the Milwaukee County Sheriff’s Office.
The Milwaukee County Medical Examiner’s Office identified the victims Monday, Feb. 3, as:
-Aldriana L. Givens, 29
-Lonnie E. Burke, 29
-Tanisha L. Warren, 31.
Around 5:07 a.m. on Saturday, Feb.1, MCSO was notified that two vehicles were driving southbound in the northbound lanes.
Shortly after entering I-43 near Plankinton Avenue, one of the wrong-way vehicles, a white sedan, collided with an oncoming vehicle traveling in the correct direction.
Witness Joey Blanco drove through right after the crash happened.
“At first I saw gravel. I knew it was fresh because I saw the two cars in collision. The road still had debris, and everyone was going slow, making sure tires weren't getting messed up.”
The male driver of the white sedan and a female passenger were pronounced dead at the scene.
A third person in the sedan was taken to a local hospital with serious injuries and later pronounced dead, according to the Milwaukee County Medical Examiner’s Office.
The vehicle that was struck contained a man and a small child, neither of whom sustained life-threatening injuries.
Blanco stopped and checked on some of the cars involved, recounting an exchange with another driver involved in the crash who said, “Hey man, I’m sorry, I had to get out the way. The guy was gonna kill me.”
“It’s unfortunate. Thank God for everyone that is alive, and prayers to those deceased,” Blanco said.
Pierre Marsh, a driver from Chicago, highlighted concerns about the entrance and exit ramps near Plankinton Avenue.
“That exit right there, there's too many loops, and lips, and stuff. They need to put more signs up for people who get confused,” he said.
There have been a number of wrong-way drivers on that stretch of highway in recent months.
Two wrong-way drivers made it onto Milwaukee County interstates undetected back in October.
One was a suspected drunk wrong-way driver who drove head-on into the path of Vice President Kamala Harris' motorcade along I-94 near the Marquette Interchange.
Milwaukee resident Natalia Zambrano echoed Marsh’s concerns. She’s lived here for seven years.
“I’m from the northern side of Milwaukee, and when I come over here, I’m just as confused,” she explained. “This is such a confusing intersection; they should take more action about it.”
The Milwaukee County Sheriff’s Office is investigating the incident and searching for the second wrong-way vehicle, described as a dark or silver SUV. Authorities have not yet determined if the two vehicles were connected.
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