Oct. 1, 2025
The Vernon County Sheriff’s Office has now released a statement regarding the serious multi-vehicle accident that occurred on Sunday on State Highway 27 between Viroqua and Westby.
The report states that on Sunday, September 28, a multi vehicle crash resulting in serious injuries occurred around 10:45 a.m. on State Highway 27. The incident took place near the intersection of Erickson Road in the Town of Christiana, between Cashton and Westby.
According to the report, Terry Lee Erickson, a 61-year-old from rural Westby, was operating a southbound sport utility vehicle with an attached utility trailer. He was stopped on the highway, signaling a left turn into a private driveway and waiting for northbound traffic to clear.
Behind him, 54 year old Suzanne Kathleen Bassette of La Crosse, WI, was also driving a southbound vehicle and was slowing down. Bassette noticed a semi truck approaching rapidly from the rear and took evasive action by steering to the right to avoid being hit. Thanks to her alertness and quick action, Bassette was not injured, and her vehicle was not damaged when it left the roadway.
The semi truck, operated by 17 year old Paytyn Charles Dosch of Mauston, WI, was pulling tandem-axle H&S forage box trailer, a farm implement. Dosch attempted to stop but the semi began to jackknife. The semi truck then struck Erickson’s utility trailer, which detached from his vehicle. The semi also collided with a northbound pickup driven by John Richard Sharp, 68, of Richland Center, Wis.
Dosch was ejected from the semi and sustained serious injuries. He was subsequently flown by helicopter to Mayo Clinic Health System in Rochester, MN. John Sharp was also injured and had to be extricated from his vehicle by the Westby,Christiana Fire Department before being transported by ambulance to a hospital in La Crosse.
Another driver, Justin Dean Clark, 38, of rural Ontario, was traveling northbound behind Sharp’s vehicle. He also took evasive action, maneuvering his vehicle to the right and off the road into a field. Neither Clark nor his passengers, a 36 year old female and two children, were injured, and their vehicle sustained no apparent damage.
The highway was closed for several hours, reopening shortly after 6:00 PM.
Assisting the Sheriff’s Office were the Westby Police Department, Westby-
Christiana Fire Department, Westby Emergency Medical Responders, Monroe
County Communications, Wisconsin State Patrol Technical Reconstruction Unit,
Wisconsin State Patrol Motor Carrier Inspectors, Rochester Police Department, and
Vernon County Emergency Management. The Cashton Fire Department also
assisted with traffic control due to the highway being closed for several hours.
The crash remains under investigation by the Vernon County Sheriff’s Office and the
Wisconsin State Patrol.
Sheriff Roy Torgerson provided a statement on the incident:
“I would like to thank the many bystanders who stopped to render aid or helped in any way. To all the first responders, thank you for your hard work and dedication handling this difficult scene. I would also like to thank all the motorists for their patience and taking alternate routes while the highway was closed until shortly after 6:00 PM.”
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