2 dead, 3 injured after wrong-way crash in Wisconsin

Emily Baude KSTP

UPDATE 7/11: Ceirra Dllis Duvessa, 27, died of multiple blunt force injuries due to the crash at North Memorial Hospital, according to the Hennepin County Medical Examiner’s Office.

A man is dead and four people, including two young children, are injured after a head-on crash in Dunn County officials say.

Just after midnight on Sunday, law enforcement from Wisconsin State Patrol responded to a call regarding a wrong-way driver on Interstate 94 near Menomonie, Wis.

Authorities say Benjamin Wilfer, 33, of Eau Claire, was driving eastbound in a westbound lane on I-94 when his Toyota Corolla hit a Jeep Compass head on and caused all of the westbound lanes to be blocked.

Wilfer died at the scene.

All four people in the Jeep Compass were injured. Authorities say the driver, identified as 28-year-old Demarie Ward of Chicago, suffered non-life-threatening injuries, while three others – 27-year-old Ceirra Ellis of Maple Grove as well as two boys ages 8 and 6 – suffered life-threatening injuries.

The Dunn County Sheriff’s Office, the Menomonie Police Department, Menomonie Fire and Rescue, Boyceville Ambulance and Mayo Helicopter responded to the incident with Wisconsin State Patrol.

The crash remains under investigation. Officials have not yet said whether alcohol was a factor for the driver of the Toyota Corolla.