One dead, one critically injured following crash in Grant County

In the early morning hours of Sunday morning, the Grant County Sheriff’s Office received a report of a one vehicle rollover crash with injuries, on County A near Buckwheat Ridge Rd., in Ellenboro Township. 17-year-old Christopher Brandemuehl, of rural Lancaster, and his passenger 26-year-old Katy Schafer, of Montfort, were traveling on County A when Brandemuehl’s vehicle hit the edge of the roadway, crossed the center line and entered a ditch. The vehicle struck an embankment and rolled multiple times before coming to rest on the driver’s side.  Both Brandemuehl and Schafer were ejected from the vehicle. Brandemuehl was transported by AirCare3 to UW-Hospital in Madison for treatment of critical injuries, and Schafer was pronounced dead at the scene. Speed is believed to be a factor in the crash. As a result of the investigation, County A was shut down in both directions for approximately 7 hours. The incident remains under investigation. This was Grant County’s fourth fatal crash of 2026.