Fatal crash reported on Lakeshore Drive in Fond du Lac County

***UPDATED AT 5:20 PM with press release***

Lakeshore Drive (Highway 45) between Subway Road and Kinker Road, which is the highway that runs along the Lake Winnebago shore in between Fond du Lac and Oshkosh will be closed for several hours Monday afternoon, July 8, 2024, while emergency officials work the scene of a fatal motor vehicle crash.

At 1PM, the Van Dyne Fire Department, North Fond du Lac Ambulance and Fond du Lac County Sheriff’s Office was paged out for the crash on Lakeshore Drive just north of Subway Road. Witnesses on the scene advised the Fond du Lac County Communications Operator that one of the vehicles was on fire and there was at least one fatality.

At 1:18 PM, the City of Fond du Lac Fire/Rescue Haz-Mat Department was paged to the scene for an estimated 30 to 50 gallons of diesel fuel that leaked from one of the vehicles involved in the crash.

The Wisconsin DNR is on scene and requesting a backhoe to the scene to remove contaminated dirt from the fuel spill.

The crash will need to be reconstructed and investigated so the highway is likely to be shut down for at least two to three hours.

Below is the official press release from the Fond du Lac County Sheriff’s Office released at 5 PM.

On Monday, July 8th, 2024 at approximately 1:00pm, The Fond du Lac County Sheriff’s Office Communications Center received several 911 calls reporting a 2-vehicle crash on Lakeshore Drive near Subway Road in the Town of Friendship, Fond du Lac County. Initial reports indicated two vehicles were involved including a 25ft box truck and a SUV. Deputies from the Fond du Lac County Sheriff’s Office along with Wisconsin State Patrol, North Fond du Lac Police Department, North Fond du Lac Ambulance/Fire Department, Van Dyne Fire Department and Van Dyne First Responders all responded to the scene.

Initial investigation showed that the SUV was traveling northbound on Lakeshore Drive when it crossed the centerline and struck a southbound box truck head on. After impact both vehicles came to rest in the west ditch.

The box truck had been operated by 51-year-old Appleton man. He was treated on scene and released with minor injuries. The driver of the SUV, a 61-year-old Fond du Lac woman, was pronounced deceased on scene. The 51-year-old man was wearing his seatbelt; however, the 61-year-old woman was not.

Troopers with the Wisconsin State Patrol and Fond du Lac County Highway Department, assisted in closing Lakeshore Drive between Subway Road and Kinker Road for approximately 4 hours while the Fond du Lac County Sheriff’s Office Reconstruction Team and Wisconsin State Patrol investigated the crash. The name of the deceased woman is being held as the crash remains under investigation by the Fond du Lac County Sheriff’s Office.

Also assisting on scene was The City of Fond du Lac Fire Rescue – Hazmat Team, Village of North Fond du Lac DPW and The Wisconsin DNR.