UPDATE: 3 women killed in I-90 crash were German exchange students
SPARTA, Wis. (WKBT) — We’re learning more about the three German women who were killed in a crash on I-90 near Sparta.
The driver Laura M. Prechtel, 20, and passengers, Christine Damer, 22, and Melina S. Orfanidis, 20, all from Germany, were killed in the crash.
The State Patrol says the car hit a deer first and slowed down before they were hit by the semi.
All three women were exchange students from Germany studying at Minnesota State-Mankato for the fall semester.
The university’s counseling center is helping those affected by their deaths.
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The Wisconsin State Patrol, Tomah Post, identified the three people from Germany that died in the I-90 crash Sunday.
The driver Laura M. Prechtel, 20, and passengers, Christine Damer, 22, and Melina S. Orfanidis, 20, all from Germany, were killed in the crash. According to authorities, Prechtel and Orfanidis were not wearing seatbelts.
According to Richard Davenport, President of Minnesota State University, Mankato, the three killed in the accident were German exchange students from Friederich-Alexander-Universitat Erlangen-Nurnberg. The students started at the University this fall for a one-semester study abroad opportunity.
PREVIOUS: A crash on I-90, Sunday evening, left three from Germany dead and one injured after a semi rear-ended a car, authorities said.
The vehicle had stopped in the west lanes after hitting a deer. The semi then crashed into the back of the car, pushing it into a ditch before the semi overturned.
The names of those killed, ages 20, 22 and 20, are being withheld pending notification of family.
The driver of the semi, Ivica Modrusic, 46, of Missouri, was transported to a local hospital for treatment.
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