BONDUEL, WI – Bonduel Area Fire Chief Kevin Lynch is urging drivers to put their phones away and pay attention at crash scenes after a cellphone video taken during a recent Highway 29 accident clean-up sparked widespread concern, and went viral beyond Wisconsin.
Lynch says the video highlights a growing and dangerous trend his crews deal with on nearly every call. Firefighters were managing traffic control and cleaning debris when the driver filmed, despite traffic continuing to flow through the scene.
According to Lynch, the behavior isn’t just unsafe, it’s illegal. Wisconsin law prohibits drivers from using a handheld device within 500 feet of a crash scene, a statute created in 2021 to protect emergency personnel. But even with enhanced laws and heavy traffic control measures, Lynch says drivers continue to speed through scenes, ignore cones, and put first responders at risk. At this particular incident, one vehicle clipped safety cones and forced firefighters to jump out of the way…