Oshkosh, WI — May 10, 2025, One person was killed following a car accident that occurred at around 9:00 P.M. on Highway 45.

An investigation is underway into a car accident that left one person dead during the evening hours of May 10th. According to official reports, a van was traveling on Highway 45 in the northbound lanes near County Trunk Y, when for unknown reasons the vehicle lost control and left the roadway and entered a ditch before then rolling into water.

When first responders arrived on the scene, they found that the driver had sustained fatal injuries and they were pronounced deceased. At this time there has been no further information released about the accident, including the identity of the driver, however this remains an ongoing investigation and more details may be released by authorities in the future.

Commentary by Attorney Michael Grossman

Whenever I hear about a crash like the one reported on Highway 45—where a van left the roadway, entered a ditch, and rolled into water, resulting in the death of the driver—I’m immediately reminded of how quickly the narrative can turn from a tragic headline into a series of unanswered questions. A single-vehicle crash may seem straightforward at first glance, but in my experience, there’s rarely a simple explanation. To begin understanding what really happened, we have to ask three key questions: Did the authorities thoroughly investigate the crash? Has anyone looked into the possibility that a vehicle defect caused the crash? And has all the electronic data relating to the crash been collected?

Starting with the investigation itself, a crash that ends in a vehicle rolling into water presents a host of challenges. Physical evidence on the roadway may be limited, and the vehicle’s final position can make it harder to reconstruct the events leading up to the crash. That makes it all the more important that investigators examine not just the immediate scene, but also the approach—looking for tire marks, debris, or roadway defects that could help explain how and why the driver lost control. Yet the level of detail in these investigations often depends on the resources of the responding agency. If specialized crash reconstruction personnel weren’t involved, critical details may have been missed or simply not recorded.

Then there’s the question of whether a mechanical or design failure may have played a role. Vans, especially older models or those used for commercial purposes, may be subject to higher wear and tear. Issues with steering systems, braking performance, or even unexpected tire failure can lead to a complete loss of control. These are not hypothetical concerns—they’re well-documented causes of similar crashes. However, identifying these problems takes more than a visual inspection. It requires someone trained in vehicle forensics to examine components that might not show obvious signs of failure. Too often, if a crash appears to involve only one vehicle, this step gets overlooked, leaving a potential contributing factor entirely uninvestigated.

Finally, electronic data could hold answers that aren’t visible to the naked eye. Many vans on the road today are equipped with event data recorders that capture vehicle behavior just before a crash—things like speed, braking effort, and steering input. That data can reveal whether the driver made an attempt to avoid something, or if the vehicle responded abnormally in the seconds before leaving the road. Additionally, mobile phone data, GPS logs, and any nearby surveillance cameras can help create a more complete timeline of the event. If that information hasn’t been secured, or if it’s lost because no one knew to retrieve it in time, then the full story may never come to light.

Every serious crash leaves behind not just wreckage, but a host of questions that deserve to be answered—especially when a life has been lost. It’s not enough to report that a vehicle left the road. We owe it to those involved, and to the families left searching for answers, to dig deeper. Only by thoroughly investigating the scene, considering the possibility of a vehicle defect, and collecting all available electronic data can we move closer to understanding what truly happened—and to making sure it doesn’t happen again.