APPLETON, WI (WTAQ) – A series of crashes along Interstate 41 near Richmond Street in Appleton closed down the northbound lanes of the highway for several hours Tuesday night.
“Around 6:30 p.m., an initial crash happened. Following that, two additional crashes happened in the same area of the highway,” said Appleton Police Lieutenant Meghan Cash. “What we are aware of, from past incidents that occurred similar to a crash like this, is that a lot of it has to do with people paying attention, keeping a good following distance, and slowing down…It is an unfortunate reminder of how important it is to pay attention.”
It remains unclear exactly what happened, but it’s not an area unfamiliar to significant crashes.
“Interstate 41 is definitely a place that we do see a lot of crashes occurring. It’s a unique part of the interstate there that causes people to have a high speed, as well as just the backups that occur in that area,” Cash told WTAQ News. “What we see is that the curve allows people to continue to increase their speed…Oftentimes, people aren’t looking ahead. They are not seeing what is in front of them. So they hit that curve, and if something like this crash is occurring nearby, it’s very hard for people to stop.”
According to DOT statistics, there were 1,640 crashes between Appleton and De Pere from 2015 to 2019. The stretch along that part of the interstate with the most crashes is between Northland Avenue and Ballard Road, where this incident occurred. DOT spokesman Mark Kantola put it bluntly:
“This isn’t an anomaly. It’s a bad stretch [of the interstate].”
It’s also an area, going northbound, where the Interstate narrows to just two lanes. While there are plans to adjust the way the interstate looks and functions in the future, lane expansions likely won’t even begin for another few years. Construction is expected to start in 2025 and end in 2029.
A public hearing on the matter was held last July:
As for the crashes on Tuesday, police are still trying to piece things together.
“There’s still a lot of interviews happening. There were so many people involved in these crashes, not only people that that witnessed, but also people that were involved…What we do know is that multiple crashes occurred, and at those high speeds, can be very, very tragic,” Cash said. “There’s multiple people that I’m aware of that are still seeking medical attention. I don’t know the status of those individuals at this point.”
Anyone who witnessed or has information on this incident is asked to contact Detective Matt Kuether at (920)832-5933.
The Appleton Police Department was assisted by the Grand Chute Police Department, Outagamie County Sheriff’s Office, Wisconsin State Patrol, Appleton Fire Department, and Gold Cross Ambulance in their response.
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