Two men are dead following a bad wreck early this morning along the Lafayette-Iowa County line. Just after 12:30 a.m., a car crashed into a bridge guardrail on County Line road, killing the driver and front seat passenger. There were two passengers in the back seat who had to be extricated. One was flown by Medflight to the UW Hospital while the other was taken to a hospital in Darlington. Investigators said speed was a factor, alcohol was present, and it doesn’t appear anyone was wearing a seatbelt.
The names of the victims have been released. The driver was Christopher J. Johnson, 23, of rural Mineral Point. The front seat passenger was Thomas D. Skattum, 22, of Blanchardville. The two in the backseat have been identified as Anthony Paddock, 25, or rural Mount Horeb. The other was Michael J. Juras, 21, of Hollandale. County Line Road was blocked for nearly six hours. Approximately 16′ of metal guardrail and posts on the bridge were destroyed when the vehicle crashed.
WIBA