Wauwatosa crash: 3 dead including DPW driver, 10 vehicles involved

Three people are dead and others are injured following a 10-vehicle crash near Mayfair Road and Wisconsin Avenue in Wauwatosa Tuesday.

WAUWATOSA, Wis. - Three people were killed, and two others were injured in a 10-vehicle crash near Mayfair Road and Wisconsin Avenue in Wauwatosa Tuesday, Dec. 13.

According to Wauwatosa Police Chief James MacGillis, the driver of a Milwaukee DPW truck was at fault, crashing into stopped cars. The driver of that truck was among the three killed.

Medical examiner data show a woman, 64, a man, 85 and a woman, 40, died near Mayfair and Wisconsin Tuesday.

Witness video shows a horrifying scene. When first responders arrived, they quickly realized some would not make it home. MacGillis called it a "terrible crash."

"Folks are shooken up, and rightfully so. It’s a loss of somebody that they knew, somebody that they worked with," said Milwaukee Mayor Cavalier Johnson.

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The first 911 calls came in shortly after noon regarding a "public works-type vehicle" that was involved in a crash near Mayfair Road and Watertown Plank Road that then continued southbound.

MacGillis said the crash at Watertown Plank was "relatively minor." The crash that followed near Wisconsin Avenue involved the DPW truck and several other vehicles that were stopped in traffic. Three of those vehicles caught fire upon impact, MacGillis said.

Crash near Mayfair Road and Wisconsin Avenue

"It was pretty big impact. It was scary," said Kristin Noack, who was rear-ended. "I was parked at a stop light. My mother was with me. The next thing I know, I heard a bang, and the truck slammed right into the back of me, and then there were more bangs. Very shaken up. You don’t expect these things when you leave your house."

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Wauwatosa fatal crash, officials discuss details

According to Wauwatosa Police Chief James MacGillis, a Milwaukee DPW truck is at fault. The driver of that truck is among the three dead.

Michael Zuber, who works in the area, said it was one of the worst crashes he has seen.

"You just look at that pile of steel over there and how crunched up everything is," said Michael Zuber, who works in the area. "They burned for quite a while."’

Police closed southbound Mayfair Road between Watertown Plank and Research Drive. Northbound lanes were closed between Wisconsin and Research. The roadways reopened around 5 p.m.

The Wauwatosa Police Department and Wisconsin State Patrol are investigating. Anyone with information or video is asked to call the Wauwatosa Police Department's Crash Investigation Unit at 414-471-8430.