08/24/2026
From the Washington County, Wisconsin Sheriff's Office RE: Fatal motor vehicle accident at intersection of Pioneer Road and Hillside Road from 8/23
PRESS RELEASE
Date: August 23, 2026
Subject: Fatal Vehicle Crash 2026-31100
Authority: Sergeant Scott Hanson
Village of Richfield, WI - On Sunday, August 23, 2026, at approximately 10:10 a.m., the Washington County Sheriff’s Office Dispatch Center received multiple 911 calls reporting a two-vehicle crash at the intersection of Hillside Road and Pioneer Road in the Village of Richfield. Witnesses initially reported that one of the drivers was unconscious. Shortly afterward, a passing nurse reported that one of the male drivers had no pulse and that CPR was being performed.
Deputies from the Washington County Sheriff’s Office and members of the Richfield Fire Department were dispatched to the scene. Flight for Life was initially requested but was later cancelled. Upon arrival, deputies found both vehicles off the roadway. The driver of the northbound vehicle was trapped and was not breathing. The Richfield Fire Department arrived and took over lifesaving efforts before extricating the driver.
Both drivers and a passenger in the northbound vehicle were transported to local hospitals for treatment. The 83-year-old driver of the northbound vehicle, a Town of Polk resident, later succumbed to his injuries.
The initial investigation determined that the northbound vehicle being driven by the 83-year-old Town of Polk resident on Hillside Road, stopped at the intersection but failed to see an eastbound vehicle traveling on Pioneer Road, driven by a 72-year-old Sussex resident, and entered its path.
The crash remains under investigation by the Washington County Reconstruction Unit and the Washington County Medical Examiner’s Office.
The intersection of Hillside Road and Pioneer Road was closed for approximately three hours for crash reconstruction and cleanup. The Wisconsin State Patrol, Jackson EMS, and Lifestar Rescue also assisted at the scene.
