MADISON, Wis. (AP) – Wisconsin Senate Democratic Minority Leader Janet Bewley was involved in a fatal car crash Friday that killed a 27-year-old Pennsylvania mother and her 5-year-old daughter, she said. say the police on Monday.
Ashland Police Chief Bill Hagstrom told the Ashland Daily Press on Monday that Bewley was not injured in the crash and that the State Patrol was reconstructing the crash. No complaints have been filed yet as the work continues.
“We’re going to sit down with them and go through everything until we determine how it really happened,” Hagstrom told the paper. “Then we’re going to send everything to the district attorney to review it because it was a fatal accident.”
Bewley, 70, is from Mason and represents northwest Wisconsin. The crash occurred when he pulled out of a Lake Superior beach entrance and into the path of a car driven by Alyssa Ortman, according to the Ashland Police Department. When Ortman’s car collided with Bewley’s, he veered onto Highway 2 and was struck by another vehicle.
Ortman’s 5-year-old daughter was pronounced dead at the scene of the crash. Ortman was taken to a nearby hospital where she later died, according to police. Hagstrom said Bewley was not taken to the hospital.
“This is a heartbreaking event for the community. Our thoughts and prayers go out to the individuals involved, their families and loved ones,” Bewley’s office said in a statement Monday. “Senator Bewley, who was not seriously injured in the crash, would like to thank all law enforcement and emergency medical personnel who assisted following the crash.”
Bewley, a member of the Senate since 2015, is not seeking re-election.