26-year-old dead after crash in St. Croix County; alcohol may have been a factor

A 26-year-old man died at the hospital after a crash Wednesday night in Hammond, Wisconsin, according to a news release from the St. Croix County Sheriff’s Office.

Investigators believe alcohol may have been a contributing factor in the crash but have not yet specified which driver is suspected of drunken driving.

Deputies responded to the crash on the 1600 block of County Road TT around 9:26 p.m. and found a Toyota 4Runner in the ditch, as well as a Volkswagen Passat in the road with significant front-end damage.

Authorities said a 60-year-old man was driving the Toyota 4Runner eastbound on the road and a 21-year-old man was driving the Volkswagen Passat westbound when the two vehicles collided.

A passenger in the Passat, 26-year-old Isaiah K. Barnes, suffered life-threatening injuries in the crash and died after being brought to Regions Hospital. The 21-year-old driver and a 34-year-old passenger were brought to the hospital with unspecified injuries.

None of the occupants of the Passat were wearing seatbelts, authorities said.

The driver of the Toyota 4Runner and his passenger, a 54-year-old man, were both treated and released at the scene. Both were wearing seatbelts, according to authorities.