Update from Madison Metropolitan School District:
Official Statement on the Tragic Loss of Student, Simon Bilessi:
It is with profound sadness to express our shared grief as we mourn the heartbreaking loss of one of our amazing West High School students, Simon Bilessi, as a result of a vehicle crash on Saturday, October 2. Tragically, the vehicle crash also took the lives of two equally amazing Middleton High School students, Jack Miller and Evan Kratochwill.
A beloved member of our school community, Simon was an excellent student, a tremendous soccer player, and a good friend to all who had the opportunity to meet him. He was an inspiration to many, and although he was at West for only a year, he embraced the Regent family, and personified West pride and community spirit.
Losing a child is an unspeakable tragedy, and West High School, along with our neighbors in Middleton, are grieving the loss alongside their families and friends. We ask our community to please keep them in your thoughts during this terribly difficult time.
The impact something like this has on a community can affect people in different ways. Young adults respond to grief and loss in a number of ways. West High is providing support for students today in the Van Hise gym and continued support to students and staff throughout the week. We encourage parents to contact our student services staff at 608-204-4100 if their child seems unusually upset, worried, withdrawn, or has trouble sleeping—or if they are concerned about their child.
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MIDDLETON (WKOW) -- Three people are dead after a car crash in Middleton around 10:15 Saturday night.
Authorities say preliminary investigation indicates a vehicle driving eastbound on West Mineral Point Road rear-ended another vehicle, sending that vehicle into a farm field south of Mineral Point Road. It then started on fire.
The three occupants were pronounced dead at the scene.
The other vehicle ended up in the ditch, north of West Mineral Point Road. The driver and sole occupant of that vehicle was transported to a local hospital with serious but non-life threatening injuries.
The names of the involved drivers have not been released pending the outcome of the investigation by the Dane County Sheriff’s Office, and the notification of the deceased’s family by the Dane County Medical Examiner’s Office.
Mineral Point Road was closed for approximately 7 hours as a result of the crash.
Middleton Fire and EMS, and Madison Fire also responded to the scene.
More at WKOW 27 News