TOWN OF VERONA - A woman from Blanchardville was killed in a 29-vehicle pileup Monday morning near Verona.
Catherine Hoelzel, 53, died at the scene of the large crash on U.S. 18/151 just east of Wisconsin 69, according to the Dane County Medical Examiner's Office. It is the only fatality reported so far.
According to her obituary, Hoelzel moved with her husband, Tim, to Blanchardville in 2000, worked most recently at SSM Dean as a payroll coordinator and has three adult children living in the area.
Another woman involved in the accident was flown by MedFlight helicopter to the University of Wisconsin Hospital in Madison for treatment of serious injuries, said Elise Schaffer, public information officer for the Dane County Sheriff's Office.
Five others with minor injuries were taken by ambulance to local hospitals, Schaffer said.
Authorities are blaming the 8 a.m. pileup on poor visibility due to heavy patches of fog. WISC-TV meteorologist Dave Caulfield explained on Twitter that a perfect storm of weather conditions created the "small patch of very dense ice fog" - clear and calm weather, very cold temperatures and nearby fast-flowing streams, like the Badger Mill Creek.
The number of people involved in the crash was so large that uninjured drivers and passengers were being taken to the Verona Fire Department to contact family and friends, according to the Verona Press. The northbound side of the highway was closed for nine hours while police and rescue workers investigated and cleared the scene.
Catherine Hoelzel, 53, died at the scene of the large crash on U.S. 18/151 just east of Wisconsin 69, according to the Dane County Medical Examiner's Office. It is the only fatality reported so far.
According to her obituary, Hoelzel moved with her husband, Tim, to Blanchardville in 2000, worked most recently at SSM Dean as a payroll coordinator and has three adult children living in the area.
Another woman involved in the accident was flown by MedFlight helicopter to the University of Wisconsin Hospital in Madison for treatment of serious injuries, said Elise Schaffer, public information officer for the Dane County Sheriff's Office.
Five others with minor injuries were taken by ambulance to local hospitals, Schaffer said.
Authorities are blaming the 8 a.m. pileup on poor visibility due to heavy patches of fog. WISC-TV meteorologist Dave Caulfield explained on Twitter that a perfect storm of weather conditions created the "small patch of very dense ice fog" - clear and calm weather, very cold temperatures and nearby fast-flowing streams, like the Badger Mill Creek.
The number of people involved in the crash was so large that uninjured drivers and passengers were being taken to the Verona Fire Department to contact family and friends, according to the Verona Press. The northbound side of the highway was closed for nine hours while police and rescue workers investigated and cleared the scene.