A Muskego couple has been identified as the two victims in a multivehicle crash Tuesday that was the result of a reckless driver fleeing authorities, running a red light and causing the crash, prosecutors said.
The accused reckless driver, Papa Abdoulaye Diallo, 24, of Milwaukee, was out on bail from two open cases in Waukesha County, according to court records. Diallo was charged with seven felony counts Friday, including two counts of reckless homicide.
The Milwaukee County Medical Examiner’s Office identified the victims as John and Barbara Zablocki. John Zablocki, 69, died at the scene, while Barbara Zablocki, 65, later died from her injuries at a hospital, the Milwaukee County Sheriff’s Office said. Adam Zablocki, the couple’s son, declined to comment on Friday.
According to a criminal complaint, a sheriff’s deputy attempted to stop a Ford Focus near the Mitchell Park Domes on South 27th Street shortly before 10 p.m. because the Focus was crossing into the fog line on the road.
When the deputy activated his lights and siren, the Focus sped away, the complaint states. Upon arriving at the intersection of 27th Street and West St. Paul Avenue, the Focus disregarded a red light at a high rate of speed and collided with two other vehicles, according to the complaint.
Prosecutors said the BP gas station on a corner at the intersection also captured the crash. Video shows a Ford Focus traveling northbound on 27th Street at a high rate of speed, disregarding a red light and then striking a Toyota Camry traveling westbound on St. Paul through a green light.
The Camry careened into a brick column that is part of the gas station while the Focus struck a Buick Enclave that was stopped at the red light in the southbound lanes of 27th Street, according to the complaint.
The sheriff’s deputy pursuing the Focus said he was traveling about 70 miles per hour while in pursuit and the Focus was pulling away. The posted speed limit on 27th Street is 30 miles per hour.
The Zablockis were inside the Camry, and despite life-saving measures, John Zablocki died at the scene, while Barbara Zablocki died at a hospital.
The man in the Enclave, 56-year-old Drew Jefferson, was not injured. He recorded video of the aftermath of the crash. At the time of the crash, Jefferson, a real estate agent, just got done dropping off his last rider for the rideshare app Uber.
Jefferson, having driven Milwaukee’s streets frequently, said the reckless driving needs to stop. “Playing Grand Theft Auto, you’re not saving any time, all you’re doing is shortening the time that you got on this earth,” he said.
The biggest topic of conversation inside Jefferson’s Uber is reckless driving and how dangerous it is to drive in Milwaukee, he said. A report out Thursday from Wisconsin Policy Forum showed that Milwaukee County is experiencing a surge in traffic deaths in recent years and it is largely impacting Black and brown residents.
Jefferson said he sees more reckless driving at night. Data also supports that. “I’m not going to be out past 6:30, 7 o’clock, if at all possible” he said.
A deputy who arrived at the scene of Tuesday’s crash observed Diallo as the sole occupant of the Ford Focus. He was unconscious with shallow breathing and was transported to a hospital for treatment of his injuries.
Among the charges are two counts of bail jumping for failing to comply with the conditions of his bonds. The sheriff’s office said a nurse discovered a gun on Diallo while at the hospital.
Diallo was charged in September with fleeing causing bodily harm and recklessly endangering safety. He was released from custody in October by posting $3,000 cash bail. Among the conditions of bond was not operating a vehicle unless properly licensed. Diallo’s license was indefinitely revoked in February, according to the complaint.
He was then charged with felony bail jumping in and released from custody in March on a $500 signature bond with the condition that he not operate a vehicle.
Diallo does not yet have a permanent attorney listed for Friday’s filed case. His attorney in his prior cases requested the assistance of an immigration attorney, according to online court records.
This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Man charged as Muskego couple identified as victims in Milwaukee crash
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