Recently, a deadly crash in Wisconsin claimed the lives of nine individuals, several of whom were from the Amish community. However, a lone toddler was left miraculously as the lone survivor of the horrific incident.
“As a result of the crash, 9 people have died. One person was in the semi, the driver, and was pronounced dead at the scene by Coroner Clarissa Rochester. There were 9 people in the van, 8 of them including the driver died at the scene. One passenger in the van was taken to the Marshfield St. Joseph’s Hospital as a result of their injuries,” the Clark County Sherriff’s Office Facebook page read.
The Clark County Sheriff’s Office issued an update on the crash that occurred on STH 95 / CTH J in the township of Dewhurst last Friday. The sheriff’s office received a call just before 8 a.m. on Friday, March 8, detailing a devastating scene.
When Deputies arrived on scene, they found semi-tractor trailer crashed in a ditch with its trailer lying on its side behind it. Furthermore, a van was found lying on its driver’s side east of the intersection and was on fire when the officer arrived.
Reports indicate a possible explanation for the crash could be that the van entered the intersection and was struck by the semi-truck on the driver’s side. Amid the collision, the semi-truck driver was ejected from his vehicle, where the driver, Daniel G. Liddicoat, was pronounced dead on the scene.
There were nine passengers in the van, and seven were ejected from the car during the collision. The accident left a two-year-old boy as the only survivor, who was transported to the Marshfield Medical Center for treatment before being released to family members. The following eight members of the van, all from Virginia, were pronounced dead at the scene:
- James K. McCoy (driver) 46 years old
- Linda Byler 44 years old
- Lydia Byler 24 years old
- Orla Schrock 24 years old
- Ellen Schrock 23 years old
- Delila Schrock 21 years old
- Suzanna Hertzler 18 years old
- A six-month-old child
The surviving toddler was saved by a bystander who witnessed the crash, as the child was thrown from the van. “I think God put me there for a reason,” Nathaniel Jahn told the newspaper of being able to save the child.
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“Kathy and I are saddened today by the fatal crash that occurred in Clark County, tragically taking nine lives. Our hearts and prayers go out to the families and loved ones of all those involved, as well as the first responders who worked quickly to provide support at the scene,” Governor Tony Evers wrote on X.
Watch footage from the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel of the crash below.
Note: The featured image is a screenshot from the embedded video.