Milwaukee crash kills 1, injures another; man pleads guilty, sentenced
Paul Hobbs
MILWAUKEE - After pleading guilty to the charges, a La Crosse man has been sentenced to prison after causing a crash in Milwaukee that killed one person and seriously injured another in October 2023.
59-year-old Paul Hobbs pleaded guilty to felony 2nd-degree reckless homicide and felony 2nd-degree reckless injury back in November 2025.
On Thursday, Feb. 19, 2026, he was sentenced to three years in prison and 10 years of extended supervision.
FREE DOWNLOAD: Get breaking news alerts in the FOX LOCAL Mobile app for iOS or Android
Milwaukee crash kills 1, injures another; La Crosse man charged
A 57-year-old La Crosse man is accused of causing a crash that killed one person and seriously injured another late on Sunday, Oct. 29.
Original Reporting | November 2023
The backstory:
A 57-year-old La Crosse man is accused of causing a crash that killed one person and seriously injured another late on Sunday, Oct. 29, 2023. The accused is Paul Hobbs – and he faces the following criminal counts:
- Second-degree reckless homicide
- Second-degree reckless injury
According to the criminal complaint, police assigned to Milwaukee's Specialized Patrol Division Crash Reconstruction Unit responded to the intersection of 35th and Park Hill Avenue on Sunday, Oct. 29 for a fatal crash. It was determined the defendant, Paul Hobbs, was driving a minivan westbound on I-94 when he exited at 35th Street. The complaint says Hobbs "lost control of his vehicle, crossed through a gas station parking lot, and collided with a black 2017 Chevrolet Malibu that was stopped in traffic."
Fatal crash at 35th and Park Hill, Milwaukee
The driver of the Chevrolet was pronounced deceased. A passenger in that same car suffered serious injuries.
When an officer spoke to Hobbs, Hobbs said "he was the driver of the white Chrysler minivan. The defendant stated that a car pushed him into the accident, identified that car as a silver Mazda, but the defendant did not know where the car was hit, not did he know where the other vehicle went," the complaint says.
SIGN UP TODAY: Get daily headlines, breaking news emails from FOX6 News
Fatal crash at 35th and Park Hill, Milwaukee
A detective who responded to the gas station near the crash was provided access to the video surveillance system by the manager. The detective was able to view the video and saw "a white vehicle moving at a high rate of speed through the gas station parking lot," the complaint says.
The Source: The information in this report comes from prior reporting and court records via Wisconsin Circuit Court Access (CCAP).