Background: The intersection of Highway 93 and Severson Road in Wisconsin”s Eau Claire County (Google Maps). Inset: Kirk Johnson (Eau Claire County Sheriff’s Office).
A Wisconsin man with a history of drunk driving is now accused of causing a fatal crash.
Kirk Johnson, 46, was charged with homicide by intoxicated use of a vehicle in connection with a crash that took place in Wisconsin’s Eau Claire County on Saturday. According to a criminal complaint obtained by local NBC affiliate WQOW, Johnson was behind the wheel of a Chevrolet Silverado when he collided with a Subaru SUV carrying two women. One of those women, 56-year-old Kimberly Clark, was killed.
Police said Clark was found unconscious in the passenger-side front seat of the SUV. She was eventually declared dead at the scene. The driver, who was not named, told police that she and Clark were driving home from a funeral at the time of the crash. She said she saw the Silverado coming into her lane and attempted to swerve away from it, but she did not have enough time.
According to the complaint, witnesses corroborated the SUV driver’s version of events. The witnesses also told police they suspected that Johnson was “drunk, it’s clear.”
Johnson was questioned by police at the scene, where he claimed he had one or two beers several hours before the crash. Police said he showed significant signs of impairment during a field sobriety test. A breath test allegedly revealed that Johnson had a 0.207 blood alcohol content, more than two times the legal limit.
WQOW reported that Johnson has five previous convictions for operating a vehicle while intoxicated going back to June 2000. His most recent conviction was in 2019.
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Johnson was charged with homicide by intoxicated use of a vehicle. He is currently in custody at the Eau Claire County Jail, where he is being held on $100,000 cash bond with conditions. His next court date is scheduled for June 15.
