MILWAUKEE, Wis. — New surveillance video shows the moment two young women were seriously injured when a driver crashed through police barricades in downtown Milwaukee.
Chloe Handrich and Samantha Zganjar were crossing Water Street on July 20 when they were struck by a silver Jeep that barreled through an orange police barricade at the intersection of Water Street and State Street.
The surveillance video from a Milwaukee city camera shows Handrich and Zganjar trailing behind their friends while crossing the street when the Jeep smashes through the barricade and hits them. The driver appears to brake just before impact.
The collision sent Zganjar flying into a street sign while Handrich was flipped upside down and thrown several feet.
TMJ4 tried to contact the driver Friday. She didn't answer her door and hung up on us.
"The person that was driving the vehicle, after she went through those barricades, when she realized that she hit human beings, she stopped her vehicle. She got out. She rendered aid. She called 911. She stayed on the scene," Mayor Cavalier Johnson said on Friday.
According to Milwaukee police dispatch reports, neither the driver nor her passenger called 911 to report the crash.
A witness told police at the scene that the driver was attempting to leave the crash scene, so the responding officer "secured the driver's keys and ordered her to stay on scene."
Watch: Video obtained by TMJ4 shows the Water Street crash that severely injured two young women
According to the crash report, the driver stated she didn't expect the barricades to be there. She also told police she had consumed two alcoholic drinks several hours before the crash but was never breathalyzed, according to the report.
The driver received three citations and was allowed to drive away after meeting with police.
Families of both girls, as well as some elected officials, continue to question the citations.
However, the mayor stands by the punishment.
"From what I've gathered from this, this seems to have been an actual accident," Johnson added.
Milwaukee Police told TMJ4 not all accidents rise to the level of a crime.
After learning Chief Jeffrey Norman had not seen the surveillance video of the crash, TMJ4 Reporter Jenna Rae asked if he would watch it and was told no.
"Chief can you explain what you consider reckless driving," Rae asked Norman.
"Well, I would think driving at a high rate of speed or not being very mindful of the individuals in the road can be some contributing factors of reckless driving," Norman responded.
It's unclear how fast the driver, who hit Handrich and Zganjar, was going, but the speed limit on Water Street is 30 mph. Surveillance video shows the driver didn't brake until milliseconds before hitting the girls.
It’s about time to watch on your time. Stream local news and weather 24/7 by searching for “TMJ4” on your device.
Available for download on Roku, Apple TV, Amazon Fire TV, and more.
