Lancaster man dies in rural Grant Co. semi vs. van crash

MOTFORT, Wis. — One man was killed Thursday after a semi and van collided on a rural Grant County highway, sheriff’s office officials said.

The crash happened shortly before 11:45 a.m. at the intersection of Highway 18 and Bethel Road, west of Montfort. When crews got to the scene, they found that a Ford van had been driving west on the highway and turned in front of a semi that was traveling east on Highway 18.

Authorities said the van hit the semi, sending both vehicles into a cornfield on the south side of the highway.

The driver of the semi, a 56-year-old man, was treated and released at the scene. The driver of the van, a 20-year-old man, suffered minor injuries and was also treated and released at the scene.

Grant County Sheriff Nate Dreckman said the passenger in the van, 34-year-old Emmanuel Garcia Ortiz of Lancaster, was killed in the crash.

Ortiz’s death marked the fifth fatal crash in Grant County this year.

Authorities are still investigating the crash.