Police body-camera footage captured the chaotic aftermath of a fatal Wisconsin highway crash after investigators said a drunk driver sped into an active construction zone, struck a resurfacing machine, and killed a worker who had been sitting on the equipment.
The YouTube channel Code Blue Cam reported that the crash happened around 9:30 p.m. on November 1, 2024, along Interstate 90 near Tomah, where a road crew was working close to the I-90 and I-94 split.
Authorities identified the driver as 25-year-old Isaac Morales Jr. The worker killed in the crash was 35-year-old Andrew Skupniewitz, a specialized pavement-grooving operator and foreman who had been doing his job when Morales’ Dodge Ram entered the closed area.
Morales’ passenger was also seriously injured, while investigators later determined that Morales had a blood alcohol concentration of 0.148 and had recently been convicted of his first impaired-driving offense.
A Frantic Call From the Construction Zone
Code Blue Cam said Monroe County dispatchers first received a desperate call from a construction worker reporting that his coworker had been struck and was lying unresponsive.
The caller and others at the scene attempted CPR, but Skupniewitz had suffered catastrophic injuries and never responded.
Responding Monroe County sheriff’s deputies and Tomah police officers initially knew only that a truck had entered the work zone and that several people might be hurt.
Another 911 call came from inside the damaged pickup, with yelling, metal noises, and confused statements that someone could not move.
When officers arrived, the scene was scattered across the highway. A construction machine had been hit, the pickup was badly damaged, a semi-trailer had also been struck, and injured people were outside the vehicles.
The body-camera footage showed officers trying to identify the driver while medical workers focused on the most seriously injured victims.
Morales Initially Blamed a Semi
Morales repeatedly told officers that a semi had brake-checked him and left him with no time to stop.
At one point, he claimed the pickup had been hit by the semi. He later said he had rear-ended the truck before moving into the emergency lane.
His account was difficult to follow, and he struggled to explain how his pickup had ended up near the resurfacing equipment with one of its front wheels torn away.
Morales admitted that he had been coming from a bar, where he said he drank at least three Coors Lights while playing pool. He also estimated that he had been driving at approximately 75 to 85 mph before the crash.
Witnesses described something different from a simple brake-check.
One construction worker told police that Morales appeared to be moving quickly and trying to cut around the semi before striking a barrel and crashing directly into the road machine.
Two women who had followed the pickup for several miles said Morales had been driving in the middle of the road and hitting barriers before the collision.
One of them recalled predicting that he was going to cause a crash less than a minute before it happened.
Andrew Skupniewitz Was Killed While Working
Skupniewitz had been seated on the right side of the resurfacing machine when Morales’ pickup struck it.
A coworker told officers that the impact ripped Skupniewitz and the seat from the equipment. The machine then began rolling backward because the collision had moved a control lever into reverse.
The coworker first ran to stop the machine before searching the roadside for Skupniewitz and finding him on the ground.
Code Blue Cam described Skupniewitz as a lifelong Wisconsin resident, loving husband and son, and a worker known for his dedication to road construction.
He was also remembered for his love of animals, video games, and spending time with his family.
His death is a painful reminder that highway construction zones are workplaces. Drivers passing through them are moving within feet of people who may have little protection from a speeding vehicle.
The cones, barrels, reduced speed limits, and flashing lights are not minor inconveniences. They are often the only barrier between workers and traffic.
Officers Investigated Signs of Intoxication
Officers noticed the smell of alcohol coming from Morales shortly after speaking with him.
They also learned that his driving privileges had been revoked following an earlier OWI conviction less than three months before the fatal crash. Morales later told investigators that he had never held a full driver’s license and had only possessed a permit.
A sergeant found a black plastic bag near the pickup containing a small container labeled as marijuana. Investigators also recovered beer cans, THC products, and a green leafy substance that tested positive for THC.
During the roadside investigation, Morales repeatedly asked an officer he appeared to know whether he would be arrested and said he feared being charged with homicide.
When asked to perform field sobriety tests, he hesitated for several minutes and said he believed he would fail.
He eventually participated, but officers observed signs of impairment. A preliminary breath test registered 0.087, and a later blood draw showed a concentration of 0.148.
That blood result was nearly twice Wisconsin’s standard legal limit and weakened Morales’ claim that the crash had simply been caused by the semi.
Witnesses Helped Reconstruct the Collision
The semi’s occupants said they had not felt Morales strike their trailer and only learned of the impact after other drivers alerted them.
Investigators found glass on the trailer’s rear corner that appeared to match the shattered passenger-side window of Morales’ pickup.
Witnesses said Morales tried to squeeze between the semi and the construction area, clipped the trailer, and then struck the resurfacing machine.
The evidence suggested that he entered the closed shoulder or work zone while trying to avoid the traffic ahead.
Police did not have a single video showing the complete crash, so statements from construction workers, passing drivers, and the semi occupants became essential.
Those accounts were largely consistent: Morales had been speeding, driving erratically, and attempting to move around the semi before crashing into the work crew.
Morales continued saying he had been brake-checked, but he could not clearly identify which semi he meant or explain the sequence in a consistent way.
A Jail Interview Revealed More Details
The following day, a sergeant interviewed Morales about what he remembered.
Morales said he had seen red brake lights before everything became blurry. He estimated his speed at between 75 and 80 mph and acknowledged that he did not have a valid license.
He said he did not remember seeing construction workers, reflective vests, barrels, or the large yellow machine with flashing lights.
Investigators believed intoxication had clouded his memory and judgment.
The sergeant told Morales that the physical evidence and witness statements indicated he slammed on his brakes, swerved right, struck the semi, and then crashed into the resurfacing machine carrying Skupniewitz.
Morales became emotional after learning that a man had died.
The sergeant told him he did not believe Morales had intended to hurt anyone, but explained that driving while intoxicated had created consequences he would carry for the rest of his life.
It was a compassionate conversation, but compassion did not reduce the seriousness of the conduct. A person does not need to intend a death to make a decision that causes one.
Morales Was Sentenced to Prison
Prosecutors initially filed a long list of charges, including first-degree reckless homicide, homicide by intoxicated use of a vehicle, injury by intoxicated use of a vehicle, reckless driving causing great bodily harm, operating while revoked causing death, and THC possession.
Morales eventually entered no-contest pleas to homicide by intoxicated use of a vehicle and injury by intoxicated use of a vehicle. The remaining charges were dismissed.
He was sentenced to 12 years in state prison, followed by 15 years of extended supervision and another 8½ years of probation.
The court also ordered him to pay approximately $2.7 million in restitution.
Skupniewitz’s family and community later raised money to help his wife with expenses, while the Wisconsin Transportation Builders Association honored him and other road workers who had died on the job.
No sentence can restore the life lost that night or remove the trauma carried by the people who witnessed it.
Code Blue Cam’s footage showed how quickly an evening at a bar became a fatal highway scene, leaving one family without a husband and son, another passenger badly injured, and Morales facing decades of punishment and supervision.
The crash was not an unavoidable accident. Investigators said it followed a series of choices: drinking, driving with revoked privileges, speeding through traffic, and entering a marked work zone where people were exposed.
Within minutes, those choices destroyed two lives in different ways, while ending one of them completely.
Gary’s love for adventure and preparedness stems from his background as a former Army medic. Having served in remote locations around the world, he knows the importance of being ready for any situation, whether in the wilderness or urban environments. Gary’s practical medical expertise blends with his passion for outdoor survival, making him an expert in both emergency medical care and rugged, off-the-grid living. He writes to equip readers with the skills needed to stay safe and resilient in any scenario.
