Posted on 07/06/2007 7:12:14 PM PDT by Diana in Wisconsin
(2 still in critical condition)
Two local men remain in critical condition this morning at University Hospital after the truck they were in fell about 70 feet into a quarry Wednesday night just outside of Middleton in the town of Springfield.
The accident killed driver Tyler Burcalow, 22, of Madison. He was the son of the quarry owner, Larry Burcalow, and worked at Yahara Materials Meinholz Quarry.
The first officers on the scene were city of Middleton police officers who found two of the six victims outside the vehicle, said Dane County Sheriff Dave Mahoney. One was suffering from minor injuries and the other had some major fractures, Mahoney said.
"They found the vehicle on its roof, completely collapsed down to the height of the pickup bed," Mahoney said.
Beer cans were scattered "about the outside" of the truck, a 2006 Dodge Ram. They may have been in the truck or in the bed of the truck, Mahoney said.
"There were signs of alcohol present at the scene, but we can't say that alcohol played a significant part in the accident," he said.
According to a University Hospital spokeswoman late Thursday, in critical condition are: Colman Dockter, 22, of Madison, and Aric J. Hinrichs, 22, of Middleton. In fair condition are Brandy Bunnell, 22, of Madison, and John C. Ogden, 21, of Cross Plains. Uriy S. Kistanov, 20, of Madison, was discharged.
In interviews with the victims Wednesday night and Thursday, the Sheriff's Office determined that all six occupants had been in the gravel pit earlier in the evening shooting off fireworks and watching a fireworks display, Mahoney said.
They were on their way to the residence of the driver, who drove the truck out of the pit and up around the back, along the field trails, he said.
There are two trails along the gravel pit, which run parallel.
"It's our belief that they just got on the wrong trail. One, in fact, does lead back to the residence and one leads directly into the pit," Mahoney said.
"Case in point, one of our own deputies had been walking the path right after the accident and walked within five feet of the edge of the pit without even realizing that that's where he was.
"We truly believe that this was just an accident based upon the driver being on the wrong path," Mahoney said.
A 911 call came in to the Middleton Police Department from a cell phone about 10:30 p.m. Wednesday. The call came from a man who said he was one of six occupants of the pickup. Then the connection was lost because of a dead battery.
The Middleton Police Department used GPS technology to track down where the cell phone was, Mahoney said.
"In the meantime, the young man had obtained another cell phone from the vehicle and had called 911 back. By then they had already dispatched units, which were already arriving on the scene," he said.
Middleton police determined there were people inside, but couldn't determine how many or if they were males or females, Mahoney said.
Once the Middleton Fire Department arrived, they began extrication and determined there were four individuals in the truck.
The driver was immediately determined to be deceased. Authorities removed the three other people and immediately transported them to University Hospital.
The Dane County Sheriff's Office is reconstructing the accident scene and completing reports. Mahoney said he does not anticipate any criminal or traffic-related charges stemming from the accident.
Sorry to hear about this, will say prayers.
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