A Friday Night Crash in Ridgeway Claims the Life of 48-Year-Old Collin E. Giddings

 A Friday night crash on U.S. Highway 18/151 in Ridgeway, Iowa, claimed the life of Collin E. Giddings, 48, after a chain of collisions involving three vehicles. The crash was reported at about 8:41 p.m. near Mile Marker 55 in the Town of Ridgeway. According to authorities, Giddings was traveling eastbound in a 2001 silver Honda Accord when the vehicle left the highway and entered a ditch before later returning to the eastbound lanes.

Once the Honda was back on the roadway, it was struck from behind by a 2012 gray Chevrolet Silverado driven by Cody L. Anderson, 22, of Verona. The impact was followed by another collision involving a 2017 green Toyota Prius V driven by Julia E. Allen, 61, of Fitchburg. The sequence turned a roadway departure into a three-vehicle crash, leaving investigators to examine how the vehicles came together and what happened in the moments surrounding each impact.

Giddings was ejected from the Honda during the collisions. Iowa County Coroner Wendell Hamlin pronounced him dead at the scene, according to authorities. His death ended a night that had begun with a vehicle leaving the roadway and developed into a fatal crash involving multiple drivers. The circumstances surrounding the initial departure from the highway and the subsequent return to the lanes remain part of the investigation, and officials have not publicly assigned a cause beyond the reported sequence of events.

The other drivers survived. Anderson was treated at the scene and released, while Allen was transported to Upland Hills Health for treatment of injuries described as non-life-threatening. She was later released. No additional serious injuries were reported in the available preliminary account. The different outcomes underscore how quickly a roadway incident can change when several vehicles become involved, particularly after a vehicle returns to an active travel lane on that rural highway.

Emergency crews remained at the scene for hours as responders handled the aftermath and investigators examined the crash. The eastbound lanes of U.S. 18/151 were closed overnight, affecting traffic along the route while the investigation and cleanup continued. The highway reopened at approximately 2:14 a.m., according to the reported timeline. The closure lasted for several hours, reflecting the amount of emergency response and investigative work required after a fatal multi-vehicle collision.

The Iowa County Sheriff’s Office and Wisconsin State Patrol are investigating the crash. Their work is expected to focus on reconstructing the sequence, documenting the vehicles and roadway, and determining the factors that contributed to the collisions. In a developing investigation, early information can change as investigators review physical evidence and other records. For that reason, details about why Giddings’ Honda left the road, how it returned to the lanes, and the precise timing of each impact should be treated according to what authorities ultimately establish.

For Giddings’ family and those who knew him, the crash represents a sudden loss that cannot be reduced to the traffic details surrounding it. At 48, his life ended unexpectedly on a Wisconsin highway, leaving loved ones to confront grief while investigators work to explain what happened. The public record currently provides a clear outline of the crash and its aftermath, but the investigation remains important in establishing the fullest account of the events that led to Giddings’ death that night.