Fatal Crashes Only
This report covers fatal crashes only, from the NHTSA Fatality Analysis Reporting System — the federal census of every crash on a US public road that killed someone within 30 days. It does not include injury or property-damage-only crashes, and its totals are not comparable with the all-severity crash reports published elsewhere on this site.
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YEAR-OVER-YEAR CRASH REPORT · MILWAUKEE, WISCONSIN · 2023
Purpose: Machine-readable JSON endpoint for AI agents, LLMs, researchers, and programmatic consumers. Returns all underlying crash data and AI-generated commentary without HTML.
Authentication: None required. Public endpoint.
GET: https://thatcarhitme.com/api/crash-data/reports/data/wisconsin/fatal/milwaukee/2023-annual-report
Yearly Traffic Safety Analysis
71 CRASHES IN
MILWAUKEE, WISCONSIN
2023
In 2023, Milwaukee experienced 71 fatal crashes, an 8.97% decrease from the 78 fatal crashes recorded in 2022. Despite the reduction in fatal crashes, the total number of persons injured in these fatal events increased substantially from 41 in 2022 to 71 in 2023, marking the most notable year-over-year shift.
71
▼ -9.0%was 78
Total Crash Events
80
▼ -5.9%was 85
Persons Killed
71
▲ 73.2%was 41
Persons Injured
21
▲ 16.7%was 18
Hit-and-Run Crashes
Note: "Persons Killed" (80) counts individual fatalities across all crash events. "Fatal" in the severity table below (71) counts crash events where at least one fatality occurred. A single crash can result in multiple fatalities.
Source: NHTSA FARS (Fatal Crashes) · Federal fatal-crash census · 2023-01-01 to 2023-12-31 · Aggregate counts from crash, person, and vehicle records
Trend Summary
The number of fatal crashes in Milwaukee decreased from 78 in 2022 to 71 in 2023, indicating a downward trend in fatal crash events. This represents an 8.97% reduction in fatal crashes year-over-year.
21
Hit-and-Run Crashes — 2023
▲ 16.7% vs prior (18)
Hit-and-run fatal crashes increased from 18 in 2022 to 21 in 2023. This change resulted in the hit-and-run rate rising from 23.1% of fatal crashes in 2022 to 29.6% in 2023.
Vulnerable Road User Casualties
18
Pedestrians Killed
3
Cyclists Killed
58
Motorists Killed
1
Other Killed
0
Pedestrians Injured
0
Cyclists Injured
71
Motorists Injured
0
Other Injured
Source: NHTSA FARS (Fatal Crashes) · Federal fatal-crash census · 2023-01-01 to 2023-12-31 · Mode classified from person records (driver/passenger → motorist; pedestrian; bicyclist → cyclist; in-line skater / unspecified → other)
When Crashes Happen
The peak day for fatal crashes remained Sunday in both 2022 and 2023, with 16 fatal crashes each year. The peak hour for fatal crashes also remained 11 PM, though the number of crashes at this hour slightly decreased from 7 in 2022 to 6 in 2023.
Source: NHTSA FARS (Fatal Crashes) · Federal fatal-crash census · 2023-01-01 to 2023-12-31 · Crash date field aggregated by weekday
Source: NHTSA FARS (Fatal Crashes) · Federal fatal-crash census · 2023-01-01 to 2023-12-31 · Crash time field aggregated by hour (0-23)
Road & Environmental Conditions
Fatal crashes occurring in clear weather increased from 45 in 2022 to 48 in 2023, while those in cloudy conditions decreased from 24 to 16. Fatal crashes in dark but lighted conditions saw a reduction from 47 in 2022 to 42 in 2023, with daylight crashes remaining stable at 26 in 2022 and 25 in 2023.
Weather
Source: NHTSA FARS (Fatal Crashes) · Federal fatal-crash census · 2023-01-01 to 2023-12-31 · Weather condition at time of crash
Lighting
Source: NHTSA FARS (Fatal Crashes) · Federal fatal-crash census · 2023-01-01 to 2023-12-31 · Lighting condition field
Vehicles & Demographics
Chevrolet remained the top vehicle make involved in fatal crashes, with its count increasing from 11 in 2022 to 14 in 2023. Dodge also saw an increase in involvement, from 7 vehicles in 2022 to 10 in 2023, while Toyota's involvement increased from 8 to 9.
Top Vehicle Makes (113 vehicles)
Source: NHTSA FARS (Fatal Crashes) · Federal fatal-crash census · 2023-01-01 to 2023-12-31 · Vehicle unit records
15 persons with unknown or unrecorded age excluded from age chart.
Sex Distribution (208 persons with recorded sex)
Source: NHTSA FARS (Fatal Crashes) · Federal fatal-crash census · 2023-01-01 to 2023-12-31 · Person-level records linked to crash events
Speed Limit Zones
The 30 mph speed zone continued to account for the highest number of fatal crashes, increasing from 36 in 2022 to 38 in 2023. Fatal crashes in the 25 mph zone decreased from 8 in 2022 to 3 in 2023, and crashes in the 55 mph zone also saw a reduction from 7 to 2.
Fatal crashes by zone: 25 mph: 3 of 3 (100%) · 30 mph: 38 of 38 (100%) · 35 mph: 21 of 21 (100%) · 40 mph: 5 of 5 (100%) · 50 mph: 2 of 2 (100%) · 55 mph: 2 of 2 (100%)
Source: NHTSA FARS (Fatal Crashes) · Federal fatal-crash census · 2023-01-01 to 2023-12-31 · Posted speed limit at crash location
Manner of Collision
The dominant manner of collision in both years was 'The First Harmful Event was Not a Collision with a Motor Vehicle in Transport,' though its count decreased from 52 in 2022 to 36 in 2023. Angle collisions, the second most frequent, increased from 21 in 2022 to 26 in 2023.
Manner of Collision
Source: NHTSA FARS (Fatal Crashes) · Federal fatal-crash census · 2023-01-01 to 2023-12-31 · Crash-level records
Vehicle Type
The dominant vehicle body type involved in fatal crashes for both years was '4-door sedan, hardtop,' decreasing from 46 in 2022 to 39 in 2023. The number of motorcycles involved in fatal crashes increased from 5 in 2022 to 8 in 2023, while large trucks decreased from 4 in 2022 to 2 in 2023.
Vehicle Type
Showing top 9 of 19 reported. 10 additional (12 total) not shown: Large Van-Includes van-based buses (B150-B350, Sportsman, Royal Maxiwagon, Ram, Tradesman,...), Sedan/Hardtop, number of doors unknown, Unknown truck type (light/medium/heavy), 5-door/4-door hatchback, Convertible(excludes sun-roof,t-bar), Motor Scooter, Off-road Motorcycle, Other or Unknown automobile type, Single-unit straight truck or Cab-Chassis (GVWR range 19,501 to 26,000 lbs.), Truck-tractor (Cab only, or with any number of trailing unit; any weight).
Source: NHTSA FARS (Fatal Crashes) · Federal fatal-crash census · 2023-01-01 to 2023-12-31 · Vehicle unit records
Roadway Functional Class
Minor Arterial roads and Principal Arterial roads continued to account for the majority of fatal crashes in both years. Fatal crashes on Minor Arterial roads slightly decreased from 32 in 2022 to 29 in 2023, and crashes on Interstates decreased from 8 in 2022 to 3 in 2023.
Roadway Functional Class
Source: NHTSA FARS (Fatal Crashes) · Federal fatal-crash census · 2023-01-01 to 2023-12-31 · Crash-level records
Roadway Ownership
Roads owned by the City or Municipal Highway Agency continued to experience the most fatal crashes, with 44 in 2023, a slight decrease from 45 in 2022. Fatal crashes on State Highway Agency roads decreased from 32 in 2022 to 26 in 2023.
Roadway Ownership
Source: NHTSA FARS (Fatal Crashes) · Federal fatal-crash census · 2023-01-01 to 2023-12-31 · Crash-level records
Person Type
Drivers remained the most common person type involved in fatal crashes, increasing from 106 in 2022 to 113 in 2023. The number of pedestrians involved decreased from 25 in 2022 to 18 in 2023, while passengers involved significantly increased from 55 to 82.
Person Type
Source: NHTSA FARS (Fatal Crashes) · Federal fatal-crash census · 2023-01-01 to 2023-12-31 · Crash-level records
Person Injury Severity
The number of fatalities (K) decreased from 85 in 2022 to 80 in 2023. Conversely, the total number of injured persons (A, B, C severity) increased substantially from 41 in 2022 to 71 in 2023.
Person Injury Severity
Source: NHTSA FARS (Fatal Crashes) · Federal fatal-crash census · 2023-01-01 to 2023-12-31 · Crash-level records
Occupant Safety Equipment
The reported use of 'Shoulder and Lap Belt Used' among participants in fatal crashes increased from 51 in 2022 to 63 in 2023. The number of participants recorded with 'None Used/Not Applicable' safety equipment remained stable, increasing slightly from 44 in 2022 to 45 in 2023.
Occupant Safety Equipment
Source: NHTSA FARS (Fatal Crashes) · Federal fatal-crash census · 2023-01-01 to 2023-12-31 · Person-level records linked to crash events
Point of Impact
The '12 Clock Point' (front) remained the most frequent point of impact, increasing from 53 instances in 2022 to 60 in 2023. Impacts at the '3 Clock Point' (right side) increased from 8 in 2022 to 10 in 2023, while '9 Clock Point' (left side) impacts remained constant at 9.
Point of Impact
"Other" combines 6 smaller categories (10 records): 2 Clock Point (3), Reported as Unknown (2), Non-Collision (2), 10 Clock Point (1), 8 Clock Point (1), Left (1).
Source: NHTSA FARS (Fatal Crashes) · Federal fatal-crash census · 2023-01-01 to 2023-12-31 · Vehicle unit records
Vehicles Per Crash
Single-vehicle fatal crashes decreased from 47 in 2022 to 34 in 2023. Conversely, two-vehicle fatal crashes remained stable with 27 in 2022 and 28 in 2023, and crashes involving three vehicles increased from 3 to 6.
Vehicles Per Crash
Source: NHTSA FARS (Fatal Crashes) · Federal fatal-crash census · 2023-01-01 to 2023-12-31 · Crash-level records
Data Sources & Methodology
Primary Data Source
All crash data in this report is sourced from NHTSA FARS (Fatal Crashes), accessed programmatically via the NHTSA FARS Open Data API (SODA). This dataset contains official police-reported motor vehicle traffic crash records maintained by the reporting jurisdiction's law enforcement agency. Records are published to the open data portal by the municipality and are subject to the portal's terms of use.
Data Retrieval
- Access method: NHTSA FARS Open Data API (SoQL queries)
- Data format: Structured JSON via REST API
- Record types queried: Crash events, person records, and vehicle unit records
- Date filter applied: 2023-01-01 through 2023-12-31
- Report generated: August 5, 2026
Data Coverage
- Reporting period: 2023-01-01 through 2023-12-31 (365 days)
- Geographic scope: Milwaukee, Wisconsin
- Total crash records analyzed: 71
- Total persons involved: 221
- Total vehicles involved: 113
Analytical Methodology
- Severity classification: Uses the KABCO injury scale (K=Fatal, A=Incapacitating injury, B=Non-incapacitating injury, C=Possible injury, O=No injury/property damage only), the standard classification in U.S. Model Minimum Uniform Crash Criteria (MMUCC). Severity is assigned per crash event based on the most severe injury in that crash. A single fatal crash (K) may involve multiple fatalities; therefore the "Persons Killed" count in the headline KPIs may differ from the "Fatal" crash count in the severity breakdown.
- Contributing factors: Reflect the officer-determined primary contributory cause recorded at the time of the crash report. These are preliminary determinations and may not reflect final investigation findings.
- Hit-and-run classification: Based on the hit-and-run indicator field in the official crash report, as determined by the responding officer at the scene.
- Temporal analysis: Day-of-week and hour-of-day distributions are computed from the crash date/time timestamp in each record.
- Demographics: Age and sex distributions are drawn from person-level records linked to each crash event. A single crash may involve multiple persons.
- Vehicle data: Make information is drawn from vehicle unit records linked to each crash event.
- AI commentary: Narrative sections are generated by Google Gemini (large language model) based on the structured data. Commentary is descriptive, not predictive, and should not be interpreted as expert opinion.
Limitations & Disclaimers
- Only crashes reported to and documented by law enforcement are included. Minor incidents, unreported crashes, and near-misses are not captured in this dataset.
- Data reflects conditions at the time of the initial police report and may be subject to subsequent corrections, reclassifications, or supplements by the reporting agency.
- Open data portal records may experience a publication lag - recently occurring crashes may not yet appear in the dataset at the time of report generation.
- AI-generated commentary is produced by a large language model and is intended to highlight patterns in the data. It does not constitute legal, medical, or professional analysis.
- Percentages are calculated from reported data and are subject to rounding.
Non-Affiliation Disclosure
This report is produced independently by ThatCarHitMe.com (Injuria.ai). It is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or produced in partnership with any law enforcement agency, municipal government, state department of transportation, or the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA). Data is sourced from publicly available government open data portals.
Data License
The underlying crash data is provided under the municipality's Open Data Terms of Use and is made available to the public for unrestricted use. This analysis and report is © 2026 Injuria.ai and may be cited with attribution using the suggested citation below.
Corrections & Feedback
If you believe any data in this report is inaccurate or have questions about our methodology, please contact: data@injuria.ai. We are committed to accuracy and will issue corrections promptly.
Suggested Citation
ThatCarHitMe.com (Injuria.ai). "Milwaukee, Wisconsin Crash Intelligence Report: 2023." Published August 5, 2026. Reporting period: 2023-01-01 to 2023-12-31. Data source: NHTSA FARS (Fatal Crashes), NHTSA FARS Open Data. Available at: https://thatcarhitme.com/crash-data/wisconsin/fatal/milwaukee/2023-annual-report
About the Publisher
ThatCarHitMe.com is a crash data intelligence platform developed by Injuria.ai, a legal technology company specializing in traffic safety analytics. We aggregate and analyze publicly available government crash data to produce structured intelligence reports for communities, researchers, journalists, and legal professionals. Our reports combine programmatic data retrieval from official open data portals with AI-assisted narrative analysis.
Questions about this report's data or methodology: data@injuria.ai
ThatCarHitMe.com · An Injuria.ai Company
ThatCarHitMe.com
An Injuria.ai Company
Crash Data Intelligence
Data: NHTSA FARS (Fatal Crashes) · NHTSA FARS
Period: 2023-01-01 – 2023-12-31
Generated: August 5, 2026 · All rights reserved
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