Driver Overdoses Before Crash On Interstate 94 Near Elm Road: Sheriff

RACINE, WI — A driver on northbound Interstate 94/41 overdosed Tuesday morning and crashed into the median near Seven Mile Road before crossing traffic and coming to a stop near Elm Road in Milwaukee County, according to a news release from the Racine County Sheriff's Office.

The vehicle hit the concrete median several times before it crossed every lane and stopped on the shoulder around 11 a.m., the sheriff's office said. By the time deputies arrived, bystanders were giving aid to the driver, authorities said. Sheriff's deputies took over and found that the driver was showing signs of a drug overdose, according to the news release.

Deputies used the opioid-reversing drug naloxone twice on the woman and she was revived without injuries from the incident, the sheriff's office said.

No other bystanders or drivers were injured in the ordeal, authorities said.

Authorities identified the driver as a 25-year-old from Kenosha. Police arrested her on charges of operating while intoxicated, possession of a schedule II narcotic and possession of drug paraphernalia, the news release said. As of Wednesday, the driver was being held on a cash bond of over $5,000 at the Racine County Jail, the sheriff's office said.

“One of our most important missions is to combat the dangerous distribution and use of illegal drugs. Sometimes we fight this fight through arresting drug dealers; sometimes we provide information about the dangers of this poison; and sometimes we save lives using Narcan – which our agency has successfully done dozens of times," said Racine County Sheriff Christopher Schmaling in a release. "In this case, the operator made a choice to endanger the lives of those around her by engaging in illegal behavior while operating a vehicle.”