Patrol: Distracted driving factored in fatal crash

HUDSON (AP) -- The Wisconsin State Patrol says distracted driving is to blame for an interstate crash that killed three teenage boys near Hudson.

The lone survivor in the SUV that hit the back of a semi stopped in traffic on I-94 told investigators the boys saw a girl driving in the right lane and wanted to get her attention.

Patrol Sgt. Brian Erickson tells the Star Tribune the teens were trying to find a piece of paper on which to write their phone number to show the girl when the crash occurred. Their SUV hit the stopped semi at 65 miles per hour.

Killed in the July 30 crash were 17-year-old Joshua Goodrich, 16-year-old Jordan Johnson and 17-year-old Zachary Zajec. Seventeen-year-old Tom Wanless was injured, but survived. All four were students at New Richmond High School.