Neighbors near Highway 67 and McMahon asking for safety changes after recent crash that killed 10-year-old

LAC LA BELLE, Wis. (CBS 58) — We are learning more about the young boy who lost his life in a car crash in Waukesha County.

It happened Wednesday morning, March 25, in the Village of Lac La Belle. A car driving on Highway 67 hit the back of a car waiting to turn left on McMahon Road, killing a 10-year-old boy, and injuring two teenagers, including the 16-year-old driver.

A memorial is growing at the intersection, honoring 10-year-old Jack Oudenhoven, a fourth grader at Meadow View Elementary School.

In a letter to parents, the superintendent of the Oconomowoc Area School District described Jack as "a smart, well liked, and athletic child who loved his teachers, friends, and school."

The letter said Jack's organs will be donated.

On Thursday, the Meadow View Elementary PTO created a GoFundMe for the Oudenhoven family.

The memorial at the scene has been drawing visitors for two days, including strangers.

"You can see how special the kid must have been to them," said Chris Webb, a neighbor who went there to pray. "His life's over just for someone speeding, someone not paying attention, it's just sad."

Neighbors told CBS 58 they've been concerned about the stretch of road for years.

"Every time we see sirens we're calling all our neighbors to see if everyone's okay because we know at that speed, any accident's a tragic accident," said Jeff Cull, who lives off of McMahon Road.

Cull said several neighbors have emailed the Wisconsin Department of Transportation (WisDOT) asking for changes, with correspondence as recent as this winter.

"People are going way too fast," said another neighbor, Michael Ribbich.  "In the immediate term I think we should reduce that speed limit from 55 to 45."

Those who make that same turn from Highway 67 to McMahon daily have feared a crash like this one.

"You're making a left turn and hoping the guy behind you doesn't come up on your tailpipe, and hoping the guy in front of you doesn't come over the line," Cull explained. "It's tight, it's fast, it's kind of scary." 

CBS 58 obtained an email dated December 9th, 2025, from a WisDOT project manager, in response to a neighbor's concern about the intersection.

The email said WisDOT plans to add rumble strips in the area, but that based on crash data, the department had no other safety-related recommendations for the intersection.

"How many lives is it going to take until the state helps us with this?" said State Representative Barbara Dittrich, of Oconomowoc.

She said she has spoken to WisDOT several times about improving safety in the area.

"I'm really angry," Dittrich told CBS 58 Wednesday afternoon. "Our law enforcement has petitioned the DOT for years to do something about this section of road and the dot refuses to do anything about it."

One intersection away at Highway 67 and County Highway CW, wooden crosses still stand marking a woman was killed in a crash in 2022. 

According to the December email from the DOT project manager, they have made several improvements at that intersection, including new signage and landscaping for better visibility. 

Community members hope the intersection at McMahon Road could have new speed limits, lights, turn lanes, or a roundabout.

"We're going to be reaching out to the DOT again on this," Dittrich said. "For Heaven's sakes, losing a 10-year-old child, we can't be having this." 

The Wisconsin Department of Transportation provided a statement regarding the intersection of Highway 67 and McMahon Road: 

Our safety engineers pulled some recent crash data history at this intersection from 2020 through early 2026 – there was one (1) crash shown at the intersection in 2021, noted as a failure to yield. This rural road has had some instances of drivers deviating lanes. As a safety countermeasure to that, next year (2027) WisDOT has a project planned to install rumble strips along Highway 67 to help alert drivers when they drift, preventing lane departures.Details from yesterday’s incident are still under investigation with law enforcement.