Woman who died in crash with Senate Minority Leader Janet Bewley was traveling 100 mph, records show
MADISON – A Pennsylvania woman who was killed in a car crash involving Senate Minority Leader Janet Bewley was driving 100 mph at the time, according to Wisconsin State Patrol investigation records.
The new records show 27-year-old Alyssa Ortman, who died as a result of the crash that also killed her 5-year-old daughter Khaleesi Fink, was traveling nearly 60 mph over the speed limit when the collision with Bewley and another driver occurred in Ashland on July 22.
Police also found a vape pen believed to contain Delta-8-THC, a compound known as "weed lite," but a report on whether Ortman had the substance in her system is still pending.
More:State Patrol accident reconstruction team searches for answers
Bewley, a Democrat who represents a state Senate district that covers the northwestern part of the state and is not seeking reelection, pulled out of a Lake Superior beach entrance that day and into the path of a car driven by Ortman. When Ortman's car collided with Bewley's, it spun across Highway 2 and was hit by another vehicle driven by Jodi Munson of Washburn.
Ortman's 5-year-old daughter was pronounced dead at the crash scene. Ortman was taken to a nearby hospital where she later died, according to police.
Brandon Fink, the father of Khaleesi Fink, filed a wrongful death lawsuit earlier this month against Bewley, Munson, Ortman and three insurance companies.
In the lawsuit, Fink accuses Ortman, Bewley and Munson of committing negligence that resulted in his daughter's death. He alleged all three failed to maintain a proper lookout. Fink also alleges Bewley was distracted while driving and that Ortman failed to maintain control of her vehicle.
A reporting intern for the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel was on the phone with Bewley at the time of the crash for an interview he had arranged with her staff about this fall's elections for the Legislature.
In a statement, a spokesman for Bewley said "This has been a heartbreaking event for the community. Our thoughts and prayers continue to be focused on the individuals involved, their families and their loved ones."
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This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Woman who died in crash with Janet Bewley was traveling 100 mph
