Man hospitalized after crash at accident-plagued intersection

One driver was hospitalized and another treated at the scene following a roll-over crash Friday, Oct. 9, at highways 33 and I.

According to an Ozaukee County Sheriff’s incident report:

At about 10:09 a.m.  on Friday, a 2013 Nissan Altima sedan driven by a 23-year-old Grafton woman was westbound on Highway 33 and stopped to turn left onto southbound Highway I in the Town of Saukville.

A 2018 Chevrolet Tahoe sport utility vehicle driven by a 31-year-old West Bend man following behind rear-ended the stopped car, causing it to roll over and land on its roof in the eastbound lane. 

The Grafton woman of the stopped vehicle was treated at the scene and released. The West Bend man was transported to Aurora Medical Center in Grafton where he was treated for non-life-threatening injuries.

The West Bend man was cited for following too close.

Alcohol was not a factor in the crash.

The crash caused Highway 33 to be closed to traffic for about an hour. Both vehicles were disabled and towed.

Responding units included Saukville and Grafton emergency medical services.

The intersection has been the scene of several accidents in recent years, including four fatals.

Plans calling for constructing a roundabout there to mitigate collisions have been accelerated.

The project is currently in the design phase, with construction tentatively scheduled for July 2022, state Department of Transporationn spokesman Michael Pyritz said Wednesday.

He said “public outreach” will take place prior to construction.

In the meantime, the DOT and Ozaukee County Highway Department have made several safety improvements at the accident-prone intersection, including mounting orange flags atop signs, painting chevrons on the roads and repainting right-turn lanes on Highway 33 to discourage motorists from using them to pass left-turning vehicles.

Building a roundabout will require acquiring an unspecified amount of land that could drive the cost of the roundabout to $2 million or more, officials have said.