7 VA Residents Of Amish Community Die In Wisconsin Crash: Police

CLARK COUNTY, WI — Seven Virginia residents are dead, including a 6-month-old infant, after the van they were in collided with a semitrailer on a rural Wisconsin road, according to authorities.

The Virginians were from an Amish community in the southeast part of the state, a report said. A GoFundMe account has been established to help the families of those killed.

Just before 8 a.m. Friday, a semitrailer going eastbound on State Highway 95 collided with a van traveling north on County Highway J in Dewhurst Township, according to the Clark County Sheriff's Office.

The van was carrying a Wisconsin man and several residents of an Amish community located in Virginia's Tazewell County, the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reported. The crash killed the van’s driver, James K. McCoy, 46; Linda Byler, 44; Lydia Byler, 24; Orla Schrock, 24; Ellen Schrock, 23; Delila Schrock, 21; Suzanna Hertzler, 18; and a 6-month-old child, Clark County authorities said.

Of the nine van occupants, seven were ejected in the crash, including a 2-year-old child who survived, authorities said.

The semi driver, identified as 51-year-old Daniel Liddicoat of Rewey, Wisconsin, was also thrown from his truck and killed, police said.

"The van was going northbound and there was a stop sign there," Deputy James Hirsch said. "The semi was going east and the van pulled right out in front of the semi."

Nathaniel Jahn, 36, was commuting to work Friday morning when he stopped at the intersection and watched in disbelief as the van pulled into the path of the semi-trailer.

"I could hear a faint, like, whimpering sound, I remember. And it turned into a cry."

The Clark County Sheriff’s Office received a 911 call of the crash at 7:53 a.m. Friday. Deputies arriving on the scene found a semi in a ditch with its trailer lying on its side.

The van was ablaze, lying on its driver’s side, investigators said.

The semi driver was ejected from the semi when it entered the north ditch and struck a driveway leading to a wooded area, investigators said. The trailer — about ¼ full of milk — spun clockwise and came to rest on its side behind the semi's cab, according to authorities.

After being struck by the semi, the van tipped onto its side, skidded east on the highway, and started on fire with two occupants inside, investigators said.

The 2-year-old lone survivor was transported to the Marshfield Medical Center and was released to family members on Monday. The incident marked the first fatal collision in 2024 for Clark County.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.