Tragedy strikes again in Beaver Dam. Seven current students or recent graduates of Beaver Dam High School have been killed in traffic accidents within the year. The latest, a 16 year old girl, died Monday at the accident scene. A frustrated Dodge County Sheriff Todd Nehls says not even a horrific triple fatality from the winter seems to get through to young drivers in the county. "You would think that after they see that carnage, and they hear what happened, that they would wake up and say 'you know, bad things can happen when you don't drive responsibly.' But it wears off after two or three months, and we're right back to the status quo."
Kristin Baade was killed when the car she was riding in crashed into a utility pole. Baade was partially ejected and died at the scene. The driver is hospitalized. Like many such crashes, Nehls says speed was a factor. He notes the tragedy for the Baade family comes just days after the wedding of Kristin's older sister.