Barron County crash leaves 1 dead, 1 injured

The Wisconsin State Patrol is investigating a fatal crash after two vehicles collided in a construction zone on Wednesday.

According to the Wisconsin State Patrol (WSP), the incident occurred at 5:23 p.m. on US Highway 53, almost a half mile south of 28th Avenue near Haugen.

WSP authorities say the crash occurred in a construction zone, with cars traveling in both directions in the northbound lanes of the highway.

WSP said witnesses to the crash saw a minivan traveling north, passing other northbound vehicles in the wrong lane of traffic, when it collided with a sedan traveling south, which was towing a motorcycle trailer.

The driver of the sedan suffered fatal injuries, while the driver of the minivan was flown to an Eau Claire hospital with life-threatening injuries.

The deceased sedan driver was identified as Ira Michael Luplow, a 71-year-old man from Menominee. The minivan driver was identified as a 56-year-old woman from Rice Lake.

No criminal charges have been made at this time as law enforcement continues to investigate.

Due to the crash, traffic in the area was detoured for three and a half hours.