Pewaukee fatal crash: man charged, claims revoked license due to epilepsy

Fatal Pewaukee crash, driver charged

A 49-year-old Menomonee Falls man has been criminally charged in a crash in Pewaukee that left two people dead.

PEWAUKEE, Wis - A Menomonee Falls man has been criminally charged in a crash in Pewaukee on Wednesday, June 26 that left a woman and a construction worker dead.

It happened on Capitol Drive just east of Pewaukee Road around 9:30 a.m.

The accused, 49-year-old Jade Moen, faces:

Two counts of 1st-Degree Reckless Homicide
One count of 1st-Degree Reckless Injury
Three counts of Knowingly Operating a Motor Vehicle Without a License - Causing Great Bodily Harm
One count of 1st-Degree Recklessly Endangering Safety.

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Jade Moen

Accident details

According to the Waukesha County Sheriff's Office, a deputy was dispatched to the intersection of Pewaukee Road and Capitol Drive for a crash involving three vehicles. Dispatch said the striking vehicle hit two construction workers.

While heading to the scene, the deputy saw a tan sedan on the shoulder of Capitol with severe damage. An injured woman was in the vehicle, not breathing and did not have a pulse. The deputy tried to get the woman out, but could not open the passenger door due to the severe damage. The 76-year-old woman was eventually removed from the vehicle and, despite life-saving measures, she was pronounced dead at the scene.

The complaint goes on to state that a witness told the deputy that a green truck was heading west on Capitol at 35 mph - 40 mph, in an area where traffic was at a slow crawl due to the construction zone, and that the truck drove straight into the tan sedan, and that the driver never tried to stop or slow down.

Witnesses say he kept going, and that he then hit two construction workers. A 46-year-old man was taken to the hospital and was pronounced dead. Prosecutors say the other worker may never walk again.

Pewaukee crash; Pewaukee Road Capitol Drive

Jade Moen, the defendant, identified himself to authorities as the driver of the truck. He said that he was driving west on Capitol and "blacked out" and then woke up in his truck later. When asked for identification, Moen provided deputies with a driver's license with ‘VOID’ written on the front, and another card that had ‘Not a Driver’s License' written in red on it. According to the complaint, Moen's driver's license was ‘surrendered indefinitely’ as of August 29, 2023 due to DOT action, and thus was not valid. Moen said that his license was taken away because he has epilepsy.

Moen said he was driving west on Capitol when, after he saw the 45 mph speed limit sign at the top of a hill, he did not remember anything after that. Moen said the next thing he knew was that he saw his vehicle had a flat tire, and that he did not know where he was. He realized he was in a crash when construction workers and law enforcement were around him. Moen said he had a seizure, which he is on medication for, per the complaint.

Moen said he takes medication for seizures, and that he gets auras after refilling the prescriptions, which he describes as "mini seizures." He said he has had seizures since 2010, and that the dosages have changed, but the medication has not.

Moen said he had not missed a dose recently, and that he did not experience any auras, symptoms, or signs he was going to have a seizure.

Detectives spoke to Moen's wife, who said he left around 9 a.m. to go to Menards. His wife said Moen was a construction worker, and had to pick up some supplies as he was working on a deck. She went on to say that Moen had suffered from epilepsy his whole adult life and was taking medication for it, although he sometimes had breakthrough seizures. She said Moen saw a doctor regularly and that he must have had a "lapse" in his medication that day. She also admitted to being in the car with him when he had minor seizures in the past.

Moen's wife said he did not have a valid driver's license, and thought he did not have one since the last accident. She said Moen usually takes an Uber to work and that they would use her vehicle if they needed to transport his construction supplies, and that she would drive him to the construction sites. She said that they were supposed to do a Driver Condition Evaluation, but had not done it yet.

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Court

In court on Thursday, June 27, Moen's defense attorney argued he had no other criminal record, and that he suffered a seizure and lost control of the vehicle.

Prosecutors say he has a history of traffic citations and that his license was indefinitely revoked last year.

Moen's bond was set at $1 million.

If convicted on all counts, Moen could spend th rest of his life in prison,