A Google Street View of Maslowski Beach parking lot in Ashland, Wisconsin.
Google Street View
A Wisconsin state senator was involved in a fatal car crash on Friday, police said.
Janet Bewley collided with another car, killing a 27-year-old woman and her daughter, police said.
Bewley told the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel that she underwent cataract surgery the day before the crash.
A Wisconsin state senator killed a mother and daughter in a car crash last Friday, police said. The lawmaker had been driving the day after receiving eye surgery.
The accident took place at 12:30 p.m. on July 22 when Wisconsin State Senate Minority Leader Janet Bewley collided with another car while pulling out of the Maslowski Beach parking lot in Ashland, Wisconsin, police said, according to KBJR.
The car, driven by 27-year-old Alyssa Ortman, spun out of control and onto the highway, hitting a third vehicle, police said. Ortman’s five-year-old daughter, Khali, was pronounced dead at the scene, police said. Authorities said Ortman was taken to a nearby hospital but later died of her injuries.
Bewley, 70, was not injured in the crash and no charges have been filed yet, police said. Her office did not immediately respond to Insider’s request for comment.
In a prescheduled interview with the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel hours after the fatal crash, Bewley, a Democrat, said she had undergone cataract eye surgery the day before.
When asked if she was alright, Bewley told the newspaper: “Yeah, I’m OK. This is not a good accident.”
Cataract surgery can temporarily cause inflammation or loss of vision, but doctors say most patients are able to resume driving 24 hours after the procedure. It’s not clear how much time elapsed between Bewley’s surgery and the crash.
In a statement published by KBJR and Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, Bewley’s office said: “This is a heartbreaking event for the community. Our thoughts and prayers are focused on the individuals involved, their families, and their loved ones.”
Bewley has been a member of the Wisconsin senate since 2015. Earlier this year, she announced that she would not seek reelection because she wanted to spend more time with her family, The Daily Beast reported.