INDEPENDENCE, Wis. – Four people were injured in a head-on collision in Independence, the culmination of a police chase that started at Elk Creek six miles north of town. The driver and a passenger in the car were critically injured and flown to hospitals by med-evac helicopters, one 50 miles to LaCrosse and one 60 miles to Rochester. Two people in a pickup truck, which was struck in the collision, were taken to a hospital by ambulance with what seemed minor injuries. Police gave this account: The chase began around 4:30 p.m. after a report about a car involved in a disorderly incident. Police attempted to stop the vehicle on Highway 93 near Elk Creek. The driver accelerated southbound, at one point clocked at 105 mph. In Independence, police laid spike sticks in the path of the car. The driver tried to avoid the spikes but lost control. He swerved head-on into the pickup truck, which was heading north.
