A portion of State Highway 27, in the city limits of Westby, was closed for three hours on Monday evening, Dec. 29, after a three-vehicle crash left debris and mangled vehicles spread across both lanes of the highway.

According to the Vernon County Sheriff’s Department, the accident occurred at 6:04 p.m., when a vehicle operated by Thomas J. Murphy, age 22, of Ontario, was driving south on Hwy. 27, near Norseland Nursing Home. Murphy’s southbound vehicle crossed the center line and clipped the backside of a northbound SUV operated by Kristina L. Hamilton, age 23, of La Farge, before colliding nearly head-on with a second northbound SUV operated by Fred A. Summerfield, age 66, of Cashton.

Murphy was extricated from his vehicle by the Westby-Christiana Fire Department’s Jaws of Life and transported by Med-Link Air to Gundersen Lutheran Medical Center in La Crosse where he was treated and released from the hospital on Saturday, Jan. 3.

Hamilton and two passengers in her vehicle, Danielle M. Wight and Ashland E. Hamilton, both also of La Farge, were transported by the Readstown Ambulance Service to Vernon Memorial Healthcare in Viroqua. Summerfield was transported to Sparta Memorial Hospital by a private vehicle.

All parties in the northbound vehicles were wearing seat belts and had side and front air bags deployed. Murphy was not wearing a seat belt, but air bags were deployed in the red Saturn he was operating.

Traffic was rerouted off Hwy 27, onto Black River Avenue in the city of Westby, while the accident scene was reconstructed by authorities and the damaged vehicles were removed.

The Westby Police Department was assisted at the scene by the Vernon County Sheriff’s Department, Wisconsin State Patrol, Westby First Responders and Tri-State Ambulance.

The accident is currently under investigation by the Westby Police Department who, according to Westby Police Cheif Mitch Hundt, were preparing to turn the case over to the Vernon County District Attorney’s Office for possible charges.