WI Senator In Deadly Crash That Killed 5-Year-Old, Mother From PA

ASHLAND, WI — A Wisconsin state senator was involved in a deadly crash Friday that killed a 5-year-old girl and her mother, according to reports.

Senate Minority Leader Janet Bewley was pulling out of a parking lot at Maslowski Beach in Ashland and turning onto Highway 2, when she collided with a vehicle driven by Alyssa Ortman, 27, of Pennsylvania, Wisconsin Public Radio reported. Ortman’s car spun across the road and struck a vehicle driven by a 45-year-old Mason woman, according to the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. The incident occurred about 12:30 p.m., the Duluth News Tribune reported.

Ortman’s daughter died at the scene, while Ortman was taken to a hospital and died, according to the Journal Sentinel. Bewley, 70, stayed on the scene and cooperated with police, according to Wisconsin Public Radio, which reported alcohol is not thought to be a factor in the crash.

“This is a heartbreaking event for the community,” said a statement provided by Bewley’s office. “Our thoughts and prayers are focused on the individuals involved, their families and their loved ones.”

Bewley was not seriously injured, according to the statement, which thanked the law enforcement and medical personnel who responded to the incident.

“A police investigation is ongoing,” the statement said. “Out of respect for that investigation and the privacy of all the families involved, our office will be withholding further comment at this time.”

An intern for the Journal Sentinel was on the phone with Bewley at the time of the crash, and the newspaper reported Bewley mentioned having had cataract eye surgery the day before the collision.

Bewley, a Democrat from Mason who represents the far northern Senate District 25, was first elected a senator in 2014.