Local
Madison police logged 58 crashes involving racing since 2024
City police records show 58 crashes involving racing behavior from 2024 through mid-October 2026, including 17 so far this year. The figures come weeks after a street-racing crash on Madison’s east side killed a road construction worker.
Madison police recorded 58 crashes involving racing behavior from the start of 2024 through Oct. 14, 2026, according to department records. Fifty-five of the incidents were classified as reckless driving that endangered safety.
The records show 19 such crashes in 2024, 22 in 2025 and 17 so far in 2026.
The tally comes weeks after a crash on Pflaum Road near Alder Road killed Peter Crook, a 65-year-old construction worker from Lone Rock. Police said two 17-year-old drivers were racing on Sept. 24 when one vehicle struck Crook as he worked on the road. Witnesses estimated the vehicles were traveling 50 to 60 mph before the collision.
Crook’s family, who declined an on-camera interview, remembered him as “one of a kind” and said he loved construction and helped others build. “He will be very missed,” the family said.
Madison police have also reported racing on the Beltline. In November 2025, two vehicles were racing before a chain-reaction crash in which one vehicle overturned and caught fire, police said.
After Crook’s death, East District Capt. Ed Marshall said police had heard neighborhood concerns about traffic on Pflaum Road. He said the district’s community policing team would patrol the area and that the department’s traffic team was aware of the concerns.
Both teens in the September crash face felony charges and were scheduled to appear in court in November.