Wausau Police Department Responds to Wrong-Way Drive in the City of Wausau

Tuesday, November 4th, 2025 -- 2:01 PM

The Wausau Police Department responded to a wrong-way driver in the City.

On November 1st, at 11:44 PM, dispatch received a 911 call reporting a vehicle jumped the median and was traveling northbound in southbound lanes on US 51 in the City of Wausau.

A nearby officer quickly responded and located the vehicle near County Highway U. The officer got to the nearest crossover to get in front of the vehicle. The vehicle passed by the squad car, but then stopped. The driver, a 49 year-old man, was subsequently arrested for OWI 3rd Offense.

It was discovered before the stop, the man had lost control and crashed into a guardrail near State Highway 29 which caused his vehicle to sustain damage. He then left the crash and traveled on the wrong side of the freeway, passing multiple opportunities to exit.

The driver told the officer he believed he was traveling home toward Green Bay, but was actually northbound toward Merrill.

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