Two of four people killed in crash in Walworth County have been officially identified: "It's so sad"
WALWORTH COUNTY -- Officials with the Walworth County Sheriff's Office have officially identified two of the four people who were killed in a crash involving three vehicles that happened on Saturday, May 28th. Two families are now dealing with unimaginable loss.
It happened around 11:45 a.m. on Highway K at Town Hall Road in the Township of Sharon in Walworth County.
The crash involved a semi, a pickup truck and an SUV.
The semi was occupied by two people. The driver of the semi has been identified as Jerry Morris, 52, from Elkhorn.
The passenger in the semi has been identified as Kevin Grethe, 46, from Sparta, Wisconsin.
Morris and Grethe were transported to an area trauma center with multiple injuries after the crash.
Four killed in crash at Highway K and Town Hall Road in Walworth County
The pickup was occupied by four people. The driver was identified as Carlos Venegas, 26, from Delavan, Wisconsin. He was pronounced dead at the scene.
A passenger, Venegas' six-year-old daughter, was taken by Flight for Life to a trauma center. She remains in critical condition.
The remaining two passengers in the pickup truck have not been positively identified by the Walworth County Medical Examiner’s Office.
A GoFundMe.com account has been established to support the Venegas family.
On that page, Carlos Venegas' sister shared this message:
Hey everyone, as many of you may know my brother Carlos Venegas (26 years old), sister in law Maria Flores (27 years old), and my nephew Carlos Venegas (2 years old) did not survive the accident with the Semi. Luckily my niece Giselle Venegas (6 years old) survived the accident. She is in critical condition and is going to have a long stay in the hospital. Slowly but surely she will get better. God is with her and our family. If anyone wants to donate it would mean the world to my family and I. Thank you so much.
-- Rosa Angelica Venegas (sister)
Venegas family (PHOTO: GoFundMe.com)
"It's so sad," Fran Metcalf, a neighbor of the Venegas family said. "A really, really nice family. They seemed to always get along."
"It's shocking. It's just a shame," Jim Lavachek, another neighbor said.
Lavachek said he's lived across the street from the family for five years.
"Both him and his wife were hard-working," Lavachek said.
"Sometimes you just wonder the reason, I guess. Why these things happen," Metcalf said.
Venegas family (PHOTO: GoFundMe.com)
More than $8,000 has been raised for the Venegas family. A visitation and Mass will take place on Friday, June 3rd at Saint Andrew Church.
The SUV was occupied by two people. The driver was identified as Carol Terry, 67, from Rockford, Illinois. She was pronounced dead at the scene.
Her husband, Mark Terry, 68, from Rockford, Illinois was a passenger. He remains in critical condition at a trauma center.
Four killed in crash at Highway K and Town Hall Road in Walworth County
According to the Walworth County Sheriff's Office, a preliminary investigation has revealed the fully-loaded semi truck and trailer were traveling northbound on Highway K, approaching the intersection with Town Hall Road.
The semi had the right-of-way as authorities say there is no stop sign for traffic traveling on Highway K.
Officials say the pickup truck was traveling eastbound on Town Hall Road and failed to yield at a posted stop sign. The semi then T-boned the passenger side of the pickup truck.
The SUV was traveling southbound on Highway K and was also involved in the crash.
Four killed, four hurt in crash in Walworth County
The Walworth County Sheriff’s Office Crash Investigation Unit and the Walworth County Medical Examiner’s Office continue to investigate this incident.
This remains an open and ongoing investigation.
Names of the two remaining passengers will be released when positive identification has been established.
Four killed in crash at Highway K and Town Hall Road in Walworth County