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 · WISCONSIN · SEPTEMBER 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/statewide/september-2023-report
Monthly Traffic Safety Analysis
49 CRASHES IN
WISCONSIN
SEPTEMBER 2023
In September 2023, there were 49 fatal crashes, representing a 7.5% decrease from 53 fatal crashes in September 2022. Total fatalities also saw a slight decrease from 57 to 56. The most notable year-over-year shift was a 70% increase in motorcycle fatal crashes, rising from 10 in the prior period to 17 in the current period.
49
▼ -7.5%was 53
Total Crash Events
56
▼ -1.8%was 57
Persons Killed
25
▼ -21.9%was 32
Persons Injured
2
▼ -50.0%was 4
Hit-and-Run Crashes
Note: "Persons Killed" (56) counts individual fatalities across all crash events. "Fatal" in the severity table below (49) 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 · 2023-09-01 to 2023-09-30 · Aggregate counts from crash, person, and vehicle records
Trend Summary
The overall trend shows a decrease in fatal crashes, with 49 recorded in September 2023 compared to 53 in September 2022, a reduction of 4 fatal crashes. Fatalities also saw a slight decline from 57 to 56, while total injuries decreased from 32 to 25. This indicates a general downward trend in the severity and number of fatal crash incidents.
2
Hit-and-Run Crashes — September 2023
▼ -50.0% vs prior (4)
The number of fatal hit-and-run crashes decreased from 4 in September 2022 to 2 in September 2023. Correspondingly, the hit-and-run rate for fatal crashes decreased from 7.5% to 4.1% year-over-year. This indicates a downward trend in fatal crashes involving hit-and-run incidents.
Vulnerable Road User Casualties
5
Pedestrians Killed
1
Cyclists Killed
50
Motorists Killed
0
Pedestrians Injured
0
Cyclists Injured
25
Motorists Injured
Source: NHTSA FARS (Fatal Crashes) · Federal fatal-crash census · 2023-09-01 to 2023-09-30 · 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 shifted from Friday with 12 fatal crashes in September 2022 to Saturday with 15 fatal crashes in September 2023. The peak hour for fatal crashes remained at 7, but moved from 7p in the prior period to 5p in the current period. This suggests a shift in when fatal crashes are most concentrated, moving to Saturday evenings and earlier in the afternoon.
Source: NHTSA FARS (Fatal Crashes) · Federal fatal-crash census · 2023-09-01 to 2023-09-30 · Crash date field aggregated by weekday
Source: NHTSA FARS (Fatal Crashes) · Federal fatal-crash census · 2023-09-01 to 2023-09-30 · Crash time field aggregated by hour (0-23)
Road & Environmental Conditions
Fatal crashes occurring in clear weather decreased from 34 in September 2022 to 30 in September 2023, while cloudy conditions also saw a decrease from 14 to 12. Fatal crashes in daylight conditions decreased by 5, from 28 to 23, but those in dark-lighted conditions increased from 6 to 9. Road surface conditions data was not available for comparison in either period.
Weather
Source: NHTSA FARS (Fatal Crashes) · Federal fatal-crash census · 2023-09-01 to 2023-09-30 · Weather condition at time of crash
Lighting
Source: NHTSA FARS (Fatal Crashes) · Federal fatal-crash census · 2023-09-01 to 2023-09-30 · Lighting condition field
Vehicles & Demographics
The total number of vehicles involved in fatal crashes decreased from 80 in September 2022 to 71 in September 2023. Harley-Davidson vehicles involved in fatal crashes increased from 7 to 10, while Ford vehicles decreased from 11 to 8. The 16-20 age group saw a notable increase in persons involved in fatal crashes, rising from 7 to 15, whereas the 65+ age group saw a decrease from 23 to 16.
Top Vehicle Makes (71 vehicles)
Source: NHTSA FARS (Fatal Crashes) · Federal fatal-crash census · 2023-09-01 to 2023-09-30 · Vehicle unit records
2 persons with unknown or unrecorded age excluded from age chart.
Sex Distribution (99 persons with recorded sex)
Source: NHTSA FARS (Fatal Crashes) · Federal fatal-crash census · 2023-09-01 to 2023-09-30 · Person-level records linked to crash events
Speed Limit Zones
Fatal crashes in 55 mph speed zones increased from 22 in September 2022 to 29 in September 2023. Conversely, fatal crashes in 25 mph zones decreased from 8 to 5, and in 30 mph zones from 6 to 5. This indicates a shift in fatal crash occurrences towards higher speed limit areas.
Fatal crashes by zone: 25 mph: 5 of 5 (100%) · 30 mph: 5 of 5 (100%) · 35 mph: 3 of 3 (100%) · 45 mph: 2 of 2 (100%) · 55 mph: 29 of 29 (100%) · 65 mph: 1 of 1 (100%) · 70 mph: 2 of 2 (100%)
Source: NHTSA FARS (Fatal Crashes) · Federal fatal-crash census · 2023-09-01 to 2023-09-30 · Posted speed limit at crash location
Manner of Collision
The dominant manner of collision in both periods was 'The First Harmful Event was Not a Collision with a Motor Vehicle in Transport', accounting for 31 fatal crashes (63.3%) in September 2023, a slight decrease from 32 fatal crashes (60.4%) in September 2022. Angle collisions increased from 10 fatal crashes in the prior period to 12 in the current period. Front-to-Front fatal crashes decreased from 5 to 3, and Front-to-Rear fatal crashes decreased from 4 to 1.
Manner of Collision
Source: NHTSA FARS (Fatal Crashes) · Federal fatal-crash census · 2023-09-01 to 2023-09-30 · Crash-level records
Vehicle Type
Two Wheel Motorcycles were the most frequently involved vehicle body type in fatal crashes in September 2023, increasing from 13 to 17 compared to the prior year. 4-door sedans also saw an increase from 13 to 16. Conversely, Compact Utility vehicles involved in fatal crashes decreased from 14 to 8.
Vehicle Type
Showing top 9 of 14 reported. 5 additional (5 total) not shown: 5-door/4-door hatchback, Convertible(excludes sun-roof,t-bar), Off-road Motorcycle, Other or Unknown automobile type, Single-unit straight truck or Cab-Chassis (GVWR range 19,501 to 26,000 lbs.).
Source: NHTSA FARS (Fatal Crashes) · Federal fatal-crash census · 2023-09-01 to 2023-09-30 · Vehicle unit records
Rural vs Urban
In September 2023, 28 fatal crashes occurred on rural roads and 21 on urban roads, compared to 30 rural and 23 urban fatal crashes in September 2022. Rural roads continue to account for a larger share of fatal crashes, representing 57.1% in the current period. Both rural and urban fatal crashes decreased by 2 year-over-year.
Rural vs Urban
Source: NHTSA FARS (Fatal Crashes) · Federal fatal-crash census · 2023-09-01 to 2023-09-30 · Crash-level records
Roadway Functional Class
Minor Arterial, Local, and Other Principal Arterial roads each accounted for 11 fatal crashes in September 2023, making them the most common functional classes for fatal crashes. This represents a decrease in Minor Arterial fatal crashes from 14 to 11 and a decrease in Major Collector fatal crashes from 14 to 9. Local roads saw an increase in fatal crashes from 7 to 11.
Roadway Functional Class
Source: NHTSA FARS (Fatal Crashes) · Federal fatal-crash census · 2023-09-01 to 2023-09-30 · Crash-level records
Roadway Ownership
State Highway Agencies owned the roadways for the most fatal crashes in both periods, with 18 in September 2023, a decrease from 21 in September 2022. Fatal crashes on roads owned by County Highway Agencies decreased from 13 to 12, and those on City or Municipal Highway Agency roads decreased from 12 to 11. All top ownership categories saw a slight decrease in fatal crashes.
Roadway Ownership
Source: NHTSA FARS (Fatal Crashes) · Federal fatal-crash census · 2023-09-01 to 2023-09-30 · Crash-level records
Person Type
Drivers were the most common person type involved in fatal crashes, with 71 in September 2023, a decrease from 80 in September 2022. Pedestrians involved in fatal crashes decreased significantly from 10 to 5, and bicyclists from 3 to 1. Passengers also saw a decrease from 35 to 24.
Person Type
Source: NHTSA FARS (Fatal Crashes) · Federal fatal-crash census · 2023-09-01 to 2023-09-30 · Crash-level records
Person Injury Severity
Fatal injuries (K) decreased slightly from 57 in September 2022 to 56 in September 2023. Serious injuries (A) saw a notable decrease from 16 to 7, and minor injuries (B) decreased from 13 to 8. However, possible injuries (C) increased from 3 to 9 year-over-year.
Person Injury Severity
Source: NHTSA FARS (Fatal Crashes) · Federal fatal-crash census · 2023-09-01 to 2023-09-30 · Crash-level records
Occupant Safety Equipment
The number of persons using shoulder and lap belts in fatal crashes decreased from 62 in September 2022 to 52 in September 2023. The count of persons reported as using no safety equipment remained constant at 31 in both periods. This indicates a decrease in documented safety belt use among those involved in fatal crashes.
Occupant Safety Equipment
Source: NHTSA FARS (Fatal Crashes) · Federal fatal-crash census · 2023-09-01 to 2023-09-30 · Person-level records linked to crash events
Point of Impact
The '12 Clock Point' remained the dominant point of impact in fatal crashes, though it decreased from 42 in September 2022 to 33 in September 2023. 'Non-Collision' as a point of impact saw a notable increase from 3 to 10 fatal crashes. The '11 Clock Point' also increased slightly from 5 to 6 fatal crashes.
Point of Impact
"Other" combines 8 smaller categories (9 records): Reported as Unknown (2), Top (1), 2 Clock Point (1), 4 Clock Point (1), 6 Clock Point (1), 8 Clock Point (1), Left-Front Side (1), Right-Front Side (1).
Source: NHTSA FARS (Fatal Crashes) · Federal fatal-crash census · 2023-09-01 to 2023-09-30 · Vehicle unit records
Vehicles Per Crash
Single-vehicle fatal crashes increased from 28 in September 2022 to 30 in September 2023. Conversely, two-vehicle fatal crashes decreased from 21 to 15 year-over-year. There was a slight increase in three-vehicle fatal crashes, rising from 3 to 4.
Vehicles Per Crash
Source: NHTSA FARS (Fatal Crashes) · Federal fatal-crash census · 2023-09-01 to 2023-09-30 · 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: 2023-09-01 through 2023-09-30
- Report generated: August 5, 2026
Data Coverage
- Reporting period: 2023-09-01 through 2023-09-30 (30 days)
- Geographic scope: Wisconsin
- Total crash records analyzed: 49
- Total persons involved: 101
- Total vehicles involved: 71
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). "Wisconsin Crash Intelligence Report: September 2023." Published August 5, 2026. Reporting period: 2023-09-01 to 2023-09-30. Data source: NHTSA FARS (Fatal Crashes), NHTSA FARS Open Data. Available at: https://thatcarhitme.com/crash-data/wisconsin/fatal/statewide/september-2023-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: 2023-09-01 – 2023-09-30
Generated: August 5, 2026 · All rights reserved
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