Two girls, 7 and 14, were killed and three members of their families were injured Thursday evening when the SUV they were riding in collided with a semitrailer truck on Highway 12 in Whitewater.
According to the Walworth County Sheriff’s Office, the deceased are Kaylinn Wilken, 14, of Waterford, and Olly Koelsch, 7, of Boise, Idaho.
The girls were in the SUV with a camper in tow headed north on Highway 12 with other members of their families. The crash occurred about 7:30 p.m. when the SUV turned left in front of the oncoming semi tanker truck, according to the Sheriff’s Office.
Those injured in the crash are driver Kristina Wilken, 44, of Waterford, passengers Michael Koelsch, 42, of Boise, Idaho, and Olly Koelsch’s twin sister.
The three were transported to an area hospital for treatment. The extent of their injuries was not known, according to sheriff’s officials.
The driver of the semi truck, Allen Guthrie, 56, of Elkhorn, was not injured.
According to Sheriff Department’s preliminary investigation, both vehicles were approaching the intersection at Walworth Avenue when the 2003 Ford Excursion driven by Kristina Wilken turned left in front of the semi truck. The truck struck the SUV in the rear passenger side and both vehicles ended up in a ditch alongside the highway.
The camper towed by the SUV suffered extensive damage in the intersection. The semi truck’s tank was empty at the time of the collision, according to the Sheriff’s Office.
The crash remains under investigation by the Sheriff’s Office Crash Investigation Unit.
Agencies that assisted at the crash scene include: City of Whitewater Police and Fire and Rescue Departments, University of Wisconsin-Whitewater Police Department, Rock County Sheriff’s Office, Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office, Ryan Brothers Ambulance, Wisconsin State Patrol, and the Walworth County Medical Examiner’s Office.
