Man Jailed After Crash Kills 2, Hurts 6 In Western Wis.

MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) – Authorities say a 21-year-old Wisconsin man is in jail after fleeing the scene of a crash in western Wisconsin Saturday morning that killed two people and injured six others.

The Wisconsin State Patrol received a report of a crash involving two vehicles at about 2:40 a.m. Saturday on westbound Interstate 94 in Dunn County near the city of Elk Mound. That's between Eau Claire and Menomonie, Wis. When officers arrived, it was determined two vehicles were heading westbound on I-94 when they collided, and one had left the scene.

Authorities said the vehicle at the scene overturned, went into a ditch and was found along a tree line. The vehicle was a van with eight people inside. Two of them were pronounced dead at the scene, while six others were taken to hospitals to be treated for non-life threatening injuries. The two victims killed were not wearing seat belts at the time of the crash and were ejected from the van. Authorities said the six others were belted in.

Less than two hours later, authorities located the other vehicle involved in the crash. Nobody was inside the vehicle, but officers located the man suspected of driving the car at about 6:45 a.m. walking along a road in the city of Menomonie. Authorities said the suspect, identified as Michael D. Sonnentag of Cadott, Wis., was arrested for operating a vehicle while intoxicated and two counts of homicide by intoxicated use of a motor vehicle.

The victims have not been identified. Sonnentag is in the Dunn County Jail, while the accident remains under investigation.