PEWAUKEE, Wis. — At least two are dead after a crash in Pewaukee Wednesday, according to the Waukesha County Sherrif’s Office.
Officials said at around 9:32 a.m., suspect Jade Moen, a 49-year-old man was driving westbound on Capitol Drive in a truck when he rear-ended a sedan. The woman driving that vehicle, a 76-year-old female, was pronounced dead at the scene. According to a criminal complaint, life saving measures were used but were unsuccessful.
According to a criminal complaint, when the truck collided with the sedan, another vehicle "was struck in succession. "
The truck continued westbound and struck two construction workers at the intersection of Pewaukee Road. One construction worker, a 46-year-old male, was transported to the hospital, where he later died. The other construction worker was a 47-year-old male who had non life-threatening injuries.
Moen, the driver of the truck, also had non life-threatening injuries. He was taken to the hospital for treatment.
According to the criminal complaint, Moen told deputies he was driving on Capitol Drive and "blacked out" before waking up in his truck. He said he remembered driving before the incident, but did not remember the accident. The next thing he told officials he remembered was getting out of his truck and seeing he had a flat tire.
According to the complaint, Moen said his driver's license had been taken away because he has Epilepsy. He said he had a seizure while he was driving and he was sorry for the accident. He said he is on medication for his condition.
Moen's wife told deputies that even though he is on medication, he can sometimes have "breakthrough seizures."
Moen presented two state-issued cards to a deputy. One was a driver's license that had a "VOID" stamp on it. The second was a card that had "Not a Driver's License" written on it.
His wife confirmed he does not have a valid driver's license. She said he normally takes an Uber to work or she will drive him to work. She told deputies she had been in the car when Moen was driving and had a minor seizure and said "he's just not there," per the criminal complaint.
According to court documents, Moen faces seven charges related to the crash, including:
- Two counts of first-degree reckless homicide
- One count of first-degree reckless injury
- Two counts of knowingly operating a vehicle without a license, causing death
- One count of knowingly operating a vehicle without a license, causing great bodily harm
- One count of first-degree recklessly endangering safety
All seven are felony charges and were filed on Thursday, per court documents.
Moen was scheduled to make an initial court appearance Thursday afternoon. He waived the reading of his criminal complaint.
A judge set his bond at $1,000,000.
A preliminary hearing for Moen is set for July 29 at 9:15 a.m.
The intersection at Pewaukee Road and Capitol Drive was closed in all directions for the investigation on Wednesday, but has since been reopened.
The Waukesha County Sheriff's Office said it was assisted by Wisconsin State Patrol, the Village of Pewaukee Police Department and the City of Pewaukee Fire Department. Officials said the cause of the crash is still being investigated.