Walworth County, WI
Three local students die in fiery crash
Posted by Ed Nadolski / In Burlington / May 29, 2017
Landen Brown,
2014 yearbook photo
Two Burlington High School students and a recent graduate of the school were killed Sunday when the car they were in collided with a tree and burst into flames in the Town of Lyons, according to officials with the Walworth County Sheriff’s Department.
Driver Jason Davis, 17, and passengers Hunter Morby, 17, and Landen Brown, 20, died in the crash that occurred on Cranberry Road east of Berndt Road, according to investigators. Morby and Davis are juniors at BHS and Brown is a 2015 graduate of the school. Brown had been attending the University of Wisconsin-Parkside.
According to sheriff’s officials, the three were in a 2003 Volkswagen Jetta that was traveling east on Cranberry Road at a high speed when it left the road and struck a tree in a
Jason Davis,
2016 yearbook photo
ditch on the north side of the road. First responders, who were summoned at 7:01 p.m., found the car against a tree fully engulfed in flames with all three occupants deceased and badly burned, the news release said.
The crash remains under investigation by the Sheriff’s Office Crash Investigation Unit and the Walworth County Medical Examiner’s Office.
The three were tentatively identified following interviews with family members, however, positive identification will rely on confirmation through dental records, according to the Sheriff’s Office.
The Burlington Area School District released the following statement late Monday afternoon:
Hunter Morby,
2016 yearbook photo
“We are grieving the loss of Hunter Morby and Jason Davis, juniors at BHS, and 2015 graduate Landen
Brown.
“School counselors will be available starting Tuesday during school hours at Burlington High School to assist students and staff needing support.
“On Tuesday, May 30 at 7 p.m. in the BHS gym, Burlington High School will host a gathering for students, staff and community members seeking support. Mervin Langley, Ph.D., will provide information on grief to assist students and parents.
“Our deepest sympathy goes out to the families and friends of these students. Please keep these families and our community in your thoughts as we work through this difficult time.”
As news of the crash broke in the community, it was quickly followed by expressions of sorrow and condolences to the families of the three on social media.
Burlington Mayor Jeannie Hefty wrote on her Facebook page:
“Our community has suffered the tragic loss of young individuals.
“Our hearts go out to these families and I know this community will help in any way we can.
“My thoughts are with the Lyons Fire and Rescue who was the lead response. Burlington Rescue and Burlington Town Fire also assisted in Lyons. These are tough calls for everyone involved.
“Keep these families in your thoughts and prayers.”
These young people speeded to their deaths. Perhaps they were also drinking as it is typical in Wisconsin. Perhaps these high schools need to better educate their students about the risks of speeding or drinking or doing drugs and then driving or operating heavy equipment such as car, a machinery and the like.
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WALWORTH COUNTY, Wis. —
Four people were killed Sunday in separate crashes in Walworth County. In each crash, the vehicle stuck an object and burst into flames.
Three people were killed at 7 p.m. Sunday night when their car hit a tree on Cranberry Road east of Berndt Road in Lyons Township.
When authorities arrived, they found the car fully engulfed in flames.
A preliminary investigation revealed a 2003 Volkswagen Jetta was eastbound on Cranberry Road at a high rate of speed when it lost control and struck a tree in the ditch on the north side of the road, the Walworth County Sheriff's Office said.
The driver has been identified as 17-year-old Jason Davis, of Burlington. The two passengers were 20-year-old Landen Brown, of Burlington, and 17-year-old Hunter Morby, of Burlington.
Davis and Hunter both attended Burlington High School and were members of the junior class. Brown graduated from BHS in 2015 and friends say he was a student at Parkside.
Friends and classmates of all three victims have gathered at the site of the crash to drop off flowers and sentimental notes.
Cain Gann attended high school and college with Landen Brown.
"He was the best person I've ever known and he touched a lot of people in a lot of different ways," Gann said.
Brown's youth pastor Greg Gross said Brown was always a joy to be around.
"And he had so much passion and heart. He loved Jesus, music and coffee," Gross said.
On Tuesday, counselors will be available for students and staff at the high school. District officials say there will also be a gathering at 7pm on campus for students and the community.
Earlier on Sunday, a man was killed when his vehicle struck a metal electrical pole and caught on fire, the Sheriff's Office said.
The crash happened at 2:50 a.m. on Highway B west of Saltbox Road in the town of Sharon.
Investigators said a 2012 Dodge Pickup truck was traveling west on Highway B at a high rate of speed when it lost control attempting to negotiate a curve and struck the pole.
He has not yet been identified.
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4 people killed in two Walworth County crashes, as stupid men went against defenseless trees or utility poles in Wisconsin
Meg Jones , Milwaukee Journal Sentinel Published 5:08 p.m. CT May 29, 2017 | Updated 8 hours ago
Two separate crashes claimed the lives of four people Sunday in Walworth County.
A pickup truck struck a utility pole, igniting a fire that killed a man around 3 a.m. Sunday. That was followed by another accident around 7 p.m. involving a car that struck a tree, starting a fire that killed three people.
In the first fatal accident, Walworth County Sheriff's deputies were sent to Highway B west of Saltbox Road in the Town of Sharon where the driver of a 2012 Dodge pickup truck was speeding and lost control on a curve. The truck struck a metal electrical pole.
By the time deputies arrived the truck was engulfed in flames. The male driver, the only person in the vehicle, was pronounced dead at the scene. His name was not released Monday.
Sunday evening, the driver of a 2003 Volkswagen Jetta was speeding on Cranberry Road east of Berndt Road in Lyons Township when he lost control and struck a tree, the sheriff's department reported. When first responders arrived, they found three people dead in the car.
On Monday the sheriff's department identified them as Jason Davis, 17, the driver, and passengers Landen Brown, 20, and Hunter Morby, 17, all of Burlington.
These young people speeded to their deaths. Perhaps they were also drinking as it is typical in Wisconsin. Perhaps these high schools need to better educate their students about the risks of speeding or drinking or doing drugs and then driving or operating heavy equipment such as car, a machinery and the like.
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3 speeding (and perhaps drunk) young men from Burlingto, WI killed in 1 of 2 fatal crashes in Walworth Co.
by A.J. Bayatpour, Updated at 07:53PM, May 29, 2017
WALWORTH COUNTY, WI --
Four people are dead after separate crashes in Walworth County on Sunday, May 28th -- three of them young men from Burlington. Their loss has left the community stunned, and heartbroken.
They were killed Sunday evening around 7:00 p.m. in Lyons Township. Officials with the Walworth County Sheriff's Office said their vehicle slammed into a tree on Cranberry Road, east of Berndt Road, and burst into flames.
Fatal crash on Cranberry Road in Lyons Township
The vehicle was found fully engulfed at the scene. A preliminary investigation has indicated it was traveling at a high rate of speed -- eastbound on Cranberry when the driver lost control and the vehicle hit the tree in the ditch on the north side of the road.
The three victims have been identified through interviews with relatives as 17-year-old Jason Davis of Burlington, who was the driver, 17-year-old Hunter Morby of Burlington, who was the rear passenger, and 20-year-old Landen Brown of Burlington, who was the front seat passenger. Sheriff's officials noted it will take dental records to make an official, positive identification -- an indication of just how bad this crash was.
17-year-old Hunter Morby, 17-year-old Jason Davis, 20-year-old Landen Brown
Friends said Brown was going to enter the ministry. They described Morby as a dedicated actor and singer, adding that both he and Davis were good friends and huge Star Wars fans.
Fatal crash on Cranberry Road in Lyons Township
As word spread through Burlington, some teenagers spent their Memorial Day putting together a roadside memorial.
"It hurts everyone. Everyone's heartbroken," Olivia Weis, who knew the victims said.
"I think it's just weird knowing you could've talked to somebody that day and they'd be gone the next. It's a real eye-opener," Brooke Flesch said.
Fatal crash scene in Lyons Township
Fatal crash on Cranberry Road in Lyons Township
At the scene on Monday, FOX6 News found debris sprayed across a nearby field -- several dozen feet from the crash side.
"The skid marks, you can see it looks like they might've gotten air or something and bottomed out," Flesch said.
This loss is serving as a jolting reminder to those who knew and loved these young men just how fleeting life can be.
"You're having fun, and you're like, 'that's not something that could happen to me,'" Flesch said.
"So yeah, this is really an eye-opener, like, yes it could happen. It's in our community. It's something we all have to deal with and cope with all together," Weis said.
Burlington High School
At Burlington High School on Monday, a sign on the door indicated a crisis team was in the library. The superintendent said he'll comment on Tuesday.
Officials with the Burlington Area School District release this statement:
"We are very saddened to learn that on Sunday, May 28, two BHS students and one recent BHS graduate died in a car accident in Lyons Township, as reported by the Walworth County Sheriff’s Department. We are grieving the loss of Hunter Morby and Jason Davis, juniors at BHS, and 2015 graduate Landen Brown.
School counselors will be available starting Tuesday during school hours at Burlington High School to assist students and staff needing support.
On Tuesday, May 30th at 7:00 p.m. in the BHS gym, Burlington High School will host a gathering for students, staff and community members seeking support. Mervin Langley, Ph.D., will provide information on grief to assist students and parents.
Our deepest sympathy goes out to the families and friends of these students. Please keep these families and our community in your thoughts as we work through this difficult time."
Town of Sharon fatal crash
Meanwhile, earlier Sunday, emergency crews responded to a crash shortly before 3:00 a.m. Officials received a call of a vehicle on fire on Highway B west of Salt Box Road in the Town of Sharon. When deputies arrived on the scene, they found a single vehicle against a utility pole fully engulfed in fire.
The preliminary investigation reveals the driver of a pickup truck was traveling west on Highway B at a high rate of speed when he lost control attempting to negotiate a curve. The truck struck a metal electrical pole. The man inside the vehicle -- and the sole occupant -- was pronounced dead at the scene by the Walworth County Medical Examiner’s Office. He has not yet been identified.
Both of these crashes remain under investigation by the Walworth County Sheriff’s Office Crash Investigation Unit and the Walworth County Medical Examiner’s Office.
Salt Box Rd., Sharon
These young people speeded to their deaths. Perhaps they were also drinking as it is typical in Wisconsin. Perhaps these high schools need to better educate their students about the risks of speeding or drinking or doing drugs and then driving or operating heavy equipment such as car, a machinery and the like.