Tim Ryan, tryan@wolfrivermedia.com
The Shawano and Bonduel communities are reeling in the aftermath of a two-vehicle crash late Tuesday afternoon that claimed three young lives — two Shawano Community High School students and one from Bonduel.
The accident occurred shortly after 5 p.m. on state Highway 22 near Friendship Road in Belle Plaine.
The preliminary investigation indicated a white passenger vehicle was northbound on Highway 22 when the driver lost control and the vehicle crossed into the southbound lane, according to the Shawano County Sheriff’s Department. The passenger car was struck by a southbound SUV.
Two people were pronounced dead at the scene. Two people were transported to Shawano Medical Center, where one of them later died of their injuries.
The deceased individuals are an 18-year-old male from Shawano, 17-year-old male from Shawano and a 15-year-old female from Bonduel, the Sheriff’s Department said.
Their names were not released.
A crisis team was already gathering at the high school Tuesday night to help students through the grieving process, according to district Superintendent Gary Cumberland.
“We will work hard to meet the emotional needs of students,” he said. “This will be a difficult next few days.”
Cumberland said the district was also seeking crisis counselors from other districts to assist.
“Obviously, this is a huge tragedy,” he said.
Several SCHS students were tweeting about the crash Tuesday using #prayersforcrew22, urging prayers for the students involved and their families.
Cumberland said students would not be the only ones affected.
“We may have some staff that have a tough time with this,” he said.
The cause of the crash remained under investigation late into the night, but officials said that speed appeared to be a factor.
The crash closed the highway for several hours. The Wisconsin State Patrol was contacted to reconstruct the crash scene.
Assisting on the crash were Belle Plaine EMS, Shawano Area Fire Department, Shawano Ambulance, Shawano Police Department and Wisconsin State Patrol.