WESTBY, Wis. – A 32-year-old man sustained serious injuries after he was struck by a vehicle while standing next to his disabled car on US Highway 14 Thursday night. The accident occurred at approximately 9:20 p.m. on October 2, just east of Saugstad Road in Westby.
Dalton Paulson, 32, was standing outside of his 2015 Hyundai Sonata on the driver’s side. His vehicle was disabled and stopped along the south shoulder of the road because it had run out of fuel. A passerby motorist had briefly stopped to ask Paulson if he required assistance.
As the passerby motorist departed, another vehicle traveling east on US Highway 14 approached the scene. The driver of that vehicle, a 17-year-old female from Viroqua, did not see Paulson’s stopped vehicle along the shoulder. That vehicle struck Paulson and his vehicle from the rear. The collision’s force pushed Paulson’s vehicle several rows into a nearby corn field. Paulson suffered serious injuries and was subsequently flown to Emplify Health in LaCrosse. The female driver of the striking vehicle was not injured.
The Vernon County Sheriff’s Office, Westby Christiana Fire Department, Westby EMS, Gundersen Tri State Ambulance, Gundersen Air and the Wisconsin State Patrol all assisted at the scene of the incident.