One dead after collision between van, truck on Milwaukee's south side

MILWAUKEE -- 43-year-old Michael Gawlik was killed when the van he was driving slammed into a larger moving truck at the intersection of 27th and Grange on Milwaukee's south side Wednesday morning, May 30th. The intersection was shut down for more than six hours as investigators worked the scene.

The collision occurred in the northbound lanes of S. 27th St. around 6:30 a.m. Officials reopened the intersection just before 1 p.m.

A preliminary investigation shows both vehicles were traveling northbound on S. 27th St. Officials say the white van slammed into the back of the Penske truck. Police believed the white van was traveling at a high rate of speed, causing the van to drill itself under the Penske truck.

"From all our knowledge, and that will be determined by accident investigation, -- both vehicles were traveling in the same direction. There was a very substantial impact, which drove the white van underneath the truck," Sean Slowey from the Milwaukee Fire Department said.

The driver of the Penske moving truck was transported to the hospital for non-life threatening injuries.

Crews cut through the white van to get to Gawlik. Then the fire department's heavy lifting crew lifted the Penske truck in order to pull the van out from underneath it.