WEYAUWEGA - A wrong-way driver was killed last week in a head-on crash on U.S. Highway 10 near Old Highway 49 in the Town of Weyauwega, marking the latest in a series of wrong-way driving incidents on that stretch in recent years.
At about 1:36 a.m. April 21, the Waupaca County Sheriff’s Office received a report of a crash in the eastbound lanes of Highway 10. According to a media release, the driver was traveling westbound in the eastbound lanes and struck a semi head-on.
The driver of the wrong-way vehicle was believed to be under the influence of alcohol and was pronounced dead at the scene, according to the sheriff’s office, while the semi driver was not injured.
While emergency crews were on scene, deputies observed another vehicle disregard traffic control measures and barricades and enter the closed portion of the highway. Deputies stopped the vehicle and arrested the driver on multiple charges, including reckless endangerment and operating with a revoked license.
The crash is the latest in a series of wrong-way driving incidents on Highway 10 in the Weyauwega area dating back several years.
On Dec. 21, 2021, Genesis Stanton, 26, was driving eastbound in the westbound lanes of Highway 10 when her vehicle collided head-on with another car that was passing a semi. The vehicles then struck the front driver’s side of the semi. Stanton and her unborn child were killed and three others were injured.
Another fatal crash on that stretch of highway was on Dec. 16, 2023, when siblings Daniel Gonzalez, 25, Fabian Gonzalez, 23, Lilian Gonzalez, 14, and Daniela Gonzalez, 9, were killed in a head-on crash when a wrong-way driver struck their vehicle. The driver, Scott Farmer, 50, of Neenah, was convicted of fifth-offense operating while intoxicated in connection with the crash and is serving a 37-year prison sentence.
In 2024, multiple incidents were reported in Waupaca County, including a March 25 crash involving a wrong-way intoxicated driver who collided head-on with another vehicle. The wrong-way driver, three passengers and the driver of the other vehicle were all injured. During a separate June 15 incident that year, a wrong-way intoxicated driver fled from officers and was arrested after the sheriff’s office used tire deflation devices to stop the vehicle.
On April 27, 2025, a wrong-way driver on Highway 10 crashed head-on into a vehicle and both drivers were injured, according to law enforcement reports. Also last year, a wrong-way intoxicated driver was traveling on that stretch of highway on Nov. 7 and failed to stop for law enforcement. When the driver eventually did stop in downtown Weyauwega, he was charged with recklessly endangering safety, resisting, and operating a motor vehicle with a prohibited alcohol concentration.
In a 2024 letter to the sheriff’s office, the Wisconsin Department of Transportation (DOT) wrote that Highway 10 in Waupaca County has a significant history of wrong-way driving incidents. The sheriff’s office and DOT partnered on a pilot program that year and installed reflective signs at six locations between Fremont and Weyauwega.
The sheriff’s office has also promoted public awareness campaigns such as “Stay Right at Night” and “Drive Right at Night,” encouraging motorists to remain in the right lane during nighttime driving, when wrong-way incidents are more likely to occur.
According to the DOT, wrong-way driving crashes are often linked to impairment, distraction or driver confusion. More than 700 verified wrong-way drivers were detected or reported to the DOT across the state last year.
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