TRAFFIC

'We're just glad everybody is OK': Car in police chase crashes into bystander's car on I-43 near Silver Spring

Ashley Luthern
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel

A driver fleeing police Sunday crashed into another car on Interstate 43, causing the bystander vehicle to roll onto its roof and closing the freeway's southbound lanes at Silver Spring Drive.

The chase started about 2:30 p.m. Sunday when Grafton police asked Bayside police for help arresting a shoplifting suspect who had just crossed County Line Road on the freeway, Bayside police Lt. Eric Miller said.

A Bayside officer saw the car and tried to pull it over, but the driver sped off, reaching speeds over 100 mph, Miller said.

Glendale police placed "stop sticks" — used to puncture tires — on the freeway, but before the fleeing car reached the device, it crashed into the other car. 

The Bayside officer was still chasing but at a distance behind the car and did not see the crash, Miller said.

After the crash, a 37-year-old man got out of the fleeing car and put his hands up. The driver, a 36-year-old woman, continued on at a slower pace, Miller said.

She finally stopped when a Glendale officer performed what's known as a pursuit intervention technique maneuver, when a squad car hits a back panel of a moving car, forcing it sideways.

The North Shore Fire Department treated four people for injuries. The woman and man inside the fleeing car were taken to a hospital for further treatment, Battalion Chief Steve Brennan said.

The two women, ages 24 and 31, inside the rolled-over vehicle received minor injuries and were treated at the scene, according to Brennan and Miller. No other injuries were reported.

"We're just glad everybody is OK," Miller said.

Bayside police will refer the driver to the district attorney's office on charges of felony fleeing and second-degree recklessly endangering safety. The man will be turned over to Grafton police to face potential charges there, Miller said. 

The crash closed all southbound lanes on I-43 at Silver Spring Drive and backed up traffic on the freeway for about an hour Sunday afternoon.

All lanes were open again just before 4 p.m., according to the state Department of Transportation.

Contact Ashley Luthern at ashley.luthern@jrn.com. Follow her on Twitter at @aluthern.