Crime & Safety
Greendale Man Charged in Drunken I-94 Crash
Suspect rolls his van near 35th Street, then leaves his friends inside and walks back to Greendale before police arrive.
A 54-year-old Greendale man is facing charges after he allegedly flipped his van while getting onto I-94 and driving drunk, then left his injured friends inside so he could walk home before police arrived.
Nathan L. Kaddatz was charged in Milwaukee County Circuit Court Tuesday with one count of fourth offense operating while intoxicated within five years, one count of causing great bodily harm by intoxicated use of a vehicle and one count of second offense operating while intoxicated and causing injury. If convicted, he faces up to 24 ½ years in prison and $45,000 in fines.
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According to the criminal complaint:
At 1:50 a.m. July 19, Kaddatz was driving his van and getting onto westbound I-94 at the North 35th Street onramp, when he hit another car and caused it to hit a barrier wall, while his van went off the road and rolled over. He then ran from the scene on foot and eventually walked back to his apartment in the 6800 block of Crocus Court.
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Milwaukee County sheriff’s deputies arrived at the scene and found two men inside the van, who were taken to the hospital to be treated for their injuries. One man suffered 10 broken ribs, a fractured collar bone a collapsed lung and a laceration to the foot which required stitches.
The other man suffered a laceration to his right leg, which needed 23 stitches to close. He told officers Kaddatz had been driving “goofy” and “erratically” before the accident.
Deputies made contact with Kaddatz who said they were at a bar called Conway’s where he had four whiskey and Coke drinks before driving. He told deputies he did something terribly wrong, then said “All because I drove. I should have thrown the keys back at them and said (expletive) you.”
He then admitted to leaving the scene, saying one of the men told him to get out of there before officers arrived. He said it took him until 10:15 a.m. to walk all the way back to his Greendale apartment.
Kaddatz was previously convicted of OWI in 1995, 2000 and 2010. He’s currently being held in Milwaukee County Jail on $5,000 bond while awaiting trial.
