Vehicle goes airborne in alleged drunken driving crash in town of Wyalusing

A one-vehicle crash in Wyalusing Township Dec. 24 resulted in an OWI arrest, according to Grant County authorities.

At about 8 p.m. Christmas Eve, the Grant County Sheriff’s Department was notified of a disabled 2010 Dodge Nitro SUV on the Highway 18 bridge between Grant and Crawford Counties. Upon the response of a Crawford County deputy, the vehicle was discovered to have been involved in a crash in which the driver may have been intoxicated. After investigation, authorities learned that Oleg Romanov, 49, of Postville, Iowa, was operating the SUV northeast on County C near Markley Hollow Road when he failed to negotiate a corner and entered the ditch on the right side of the roadway. When the vehicle hit Markley Hollow Road, it became airborne and landed in the ditch on the other side of Markley Hollow before striking a steep hillside and coming to a stop.

According to the Grant County Sheriff’s Department, Romanov then left the scene and continued driving until his vehicle became disabled on the Highway 18 bridge. 

After performing field sobriety tests, Romanov was arrested on suspicion of operating while intoxicated-first offense. Romanov will also be cited for failure to notify police of an accident. Romanov was uninjured in the crash. The Crawford County Sheriff’s Office and Milo’s Towing, of Prairie du Chien, assisted at the scene.