An Iowa woman was killed in a two-vehicle Madison car accident outside of New Diggings Friday.

According to officials with the Lafayette County Sheriff's Office, 28 year-old Megan E. Uptegraph-Coble, of Dubuque, IA. was traveling south on County Highway I in a 2001 Jeep Sport Utility Vehicle when the fatal accident occurred. Police say Uptegraph-Coble failed to stop at a stop sign at the County Highway W intersection and drove into the path of a westbound 2004 Pontiac 4 door driven b  53 year-old Linda L. Homer, of Hazel Green.

Uptegraph-Coble was pronounced dead at the scene of the crash by a University of Wisconsin Med-Flight physician. Homer and a passenger, 54 year-old Elizabeth Burchfield, of Shullsburg, were transported by Shullsburg and Hazel Green Ambulances to an area hospital for treatment of non-life-threatening injuries.

Seatbelts were worn by each of the persons involved in the crash, police say. Alcohol does not appear to be a factor.

Seven people were injured Sunday after a driver made an illegal U-turn on Interstate 90/39 causing a collision, police say.

According to officials with the Wisconsin State Patrol, a 1998 Dodge van was traveling northbound on the interstate between Edgerton and Stoughton, shortly before 2:00 p.m., when a Jeep struck the van as it was making an illegal U-turn. The impact of the collision forced the van off the right side of the roadway where it clipped the 157 mile-marker post before crashing into a fence and coming to rest in a swampy area.

The collision injured the driver of the van, 70 year-old Ali-Moron Khayriyyah, of Lansing, Ill., and six children who were riding in it. The identities of the children were not released but officials say their ages are 4,9,11,12,13 and 14.

The police reported stated that the driver of the Jeep "briefly stopped and fled the scene."

 

If you or someone you know was involved in an automobile accident, you can contact a Madison Personal Injury Lawyer of Habush, Habush & Rottier, S.C., by calling 800-242-2874. 

A new state law was passed today in Wisconsin that requires all Wisconsin drivers to carry proof of auto insurance whenever driving.  Law enforcement officials will be routinely asking for proof of insurance in addition to a driver's license during traffic stops.  Prior to today, June 1, 2010, Wisconsin was one of only two states in the country that did not legally require all drivers to have auto insurance. 

Having an auto insurance policy is an exercise of personal responsibility in the community.  One fender bender, let alone an injury claim, can make years worth of auto insurance payments worthwhile.  Even though it could cost you big bucks if you are caught without auto insurance, police are not allowed to pull over vehicles for the sole purpose of checking the driver's insurance.  If you are pulled over for another traffic violation and you have insurance but no proof, you will have to pay a $10 violation fee and you might have to go to court to prove it to a judge.  If you are caught lying to an officer about having auto insurance, the penalty can be upwards of five thousand dollars.  Before the law was enacted today, 85 percent of Wisconsin residents had auto insurance.

If you or someone you know was involved in an automobile accident, you can contact the Madison car accident attorneys of Habush, Habush & Rottier, S.C., by calling 800-242-2874.