BURLINGTON, Wis. - Racine County prosecutors have charged a man with two felonies after he crashed in the town of Burlington, killing a passenger in his car and seriously injuring another driver on March 18.
In court:
Court records show 31-year-old Dakota Morand is charged with homicide by vehicle (use of controlled substance) and injury by vehicle (use of controlled substance). He made his initial court appearance on March 27, was issued a $25,000 signature bond and placed on house arrest.
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Crash investigation
The backstory:
The crash happened near Pine and Schaal on March 18. Deputies got to the scene around 4:20 p.m. that day and found a red Chevrolet and a gray Nissan, each of which had significant front-end damage.
Court filings identified Morand as the driver of the Chevrolet. A 32-year-old Kenosha woman, who was a passenger in his car, died at the scene despite life-saving attempts from a nurse who had come upon the crash scene.
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The driver of the Nissan, identified as a 61-year-old Burlington woman, was unable to get out of her car. The complaint said she suffered a fractured sternum, multiple fractured vertebrae, a collapsed lung and a hematoma in front of her heart.
Morand was taken to a hospital with a broken ankle, wrist and pelvis, per the complaint.
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What they're saying:
Multiple witnesses said the Chevrolet was swerving in its lane before it veered into oncoming traffic and hit the Nissan, according to the complaint. A Burlington police officer, as well as the nurse who stopped at the scene, said they noted signs of impairment from Morand that "exceeded what they thought would be shock and trauma from the crash."
Court filings said Morand admitted he had smoked marijuana that morning. A deputy obtained a warrant to collect a blood sample from Morand, but the complaint did not say whether any test results were obtained from that sample.
The Source: FOX6 News referenced information from the Racine County Sheriff's Office, Racine County District Attorney's Office and Wisconsin Circuit Court.