UPDATE: October 18, 2023 – Dodge Co., Wi -The operator of the ATV was identified as Jillian Dunham, of rural Watertown. The crash remains under investigation.
An 18-year-old rural Watertown woman was seriously injured in an ATV (All-Terrain Vehicle) crash in the Town of Shields in Dodge County. The location of the crash was about three miles northwest of the City of Watertown.
Shortly after 1 p.m. on Tuesday, October 17, 2023, a citizen reported finding an ATV that had crashed and a woman lying in the roadway with serious injuries.
The initial investigation showed a four-wheeled ATV operated by the woman was westbound on Wood Road near County Road K, when it left the roadway and overturned in the ditch, and the operator was ejected from the ATV. A medical helicopter was called to the scene and transported the woman to a medical facility.
The Dodge County Sheriff’s Office is leading the investigation into the crash and was assisted at the scene by Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources (DNR) Conservation Wardens. The Watertown Fire Department and Paramedics and Flight for Life provided medical care at the scene.
A helmet was at the scene, but whether it was worn at the time of the crash, and its impact on the injuries, is under investigation. All town roads in the Township of Shields, are open to ATV/UTV traffic by town ordinance.
