A 49-year-old man has been charged with seven felonies following a crash in a southern Wisconsin construction zone that killed a car driver and a worker.
Jade M. Moen of Menomonee Falls, Wisconsin, allegedly lost control of his truck when he blacked out from a seizure in Pewaukee, resulting in two deaths, according to media reports. One of the fatalities was a construction worker, and another worker was injured, according to the Waukesha County Sheriff’s Department.
Moen did not have a valid driver’s license after it was revoked indefinitely in August 2023 due to his history of epilepsy, according to reports.
Moen has been charged with two counts of first-degree reckless homicide, one count of first-degree reckless injury, two counts of knowingly operating a vehicle without a valid license and causing death, one count of knowingly operating a vehicle without a valid license and causing great bodily harm, and one count of first-degree recklessly endangering safety.
At 9:32 a.m. June 26, a 76-year-old woman’s car was allegedly struck in the rear by Moen’s truck, killing her. He then hit a 46-year-old construction worker, who later died at the hospital, and a 47-year-old worker who had non-life-threatening injuries, the Sheriff’s Department said.
Worker Priciliano Alvarez Gonzalez died in a construction zone crash along with a 76-year-old woman June 26 in Wisconsin.GoFundMe
“He went to work early in the day, and during his work shift he was run over and lost his life,” the page says. “He left his wife and three children suffering.”
The name of the other deceased victim has not been released.
Moen’s attorney, Jonathan LaVoy of Kim & LaVoy SC, told the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, “Jade is a very nice person, and he feels horrible about the accident. It's clear that it was a seizure that occurred, and that this was a horrible tragedy in the community."
Gonzalez was represented by the Laborers Local 113 union in Milwaukee. Business Manager Tony Neira told the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel in an email, “Construction is a dangerous job, and our highly trained members face daily risks when they work to build our communities.”
Prosecutor Chelsea Thompson requested a $1 million bond in court June 27, according to a TMJ4 report. Moen reportedly had been involved in a series of other crashes in the area in recent years and surrendered his license in 2021.
