3 dead in crash involving DPW truck near Wisconsin Avenue and Mayfair Road

WAUWATOSA, Wis. (CBS 58) -- Three people are dead, including a city of Milwaukee Department of Public Works (DPW) truck driver, following a fiery crash in Wauwatosa on Tuesday, Dec. 13.

The victims are a 40-year-old woman, a 64-year-old woman, and an 85-year-old man, according to the Milwaukee County Medical Examiner's Office. 

Authorities say just after 12 p.m., 911 calls reported a driver of a heavy duty DPW truck drove away from the scene of a crash at Watertown Plank Road. The crash was determined to be relatively minor. 

Officials say the DPW driver continued southbound and crashed again into several vehicles stopped at Wisconsin Avenue. 

Two people in the passenger vehicles were killed. The DPW truck driver was also killed. A total of 10 vehicles were involved.

Three others were hurt, with two being taken to area hospitals for treatment. 

Wauwatosa police and the Wisconsin State Patrol are investigating the crash. Wauwatosa Police Chief James MacGillis wouldn't confirm if the DPW driver was male or female or share any additional info about the other victims.

Milwaukee Mayor Cavalier Johnson visited the scene. He was unable to provide any information about the city employee involved in the crash but said he had spoken with the DPW commissioner.

"It's heartbreaking," Johnson said. "Folks are (shaken) up, and rightfully so. It's a loss of somebody that they knew, somebody that they worked with."

Witnesses on the scene told CBS 58 they heard screams and saw flames following the crash.

“As we were coming down the hill, you could see that there was white and black smoke starting to blow across the gas station,” said Michael Zuber, who works near the crash site.

Kristin Noack was in one of the cars hit. "I was parked at a stop sign, talking to my mom in the car, and the next thing, we heard a noise and the truck behind me just plowed right into my back end,” she said.

Noack says she's lucky to be alive. Her mother was taken to the hospital with minor injuries.  

“I heard more crashing and more popping and saw flames…I honestly don’t know what happened to the others, it was very scary,” she said. 

 Anyone with information or video footage is encouraged to contact the Wauwatosa Police Department.

CBS 58 reached out to DPW for more information.