ST. CROIX COUNTY, Wis. — The community of Downing is mourning the loss of Dennis D. Swenby, 63, who died in a tragic single-vehicle crash on Saturday morning in Hudson Township. Authorities say Swenby was the sole occupant of a 2013 Ford F-150 that left the roadway and crashed down a wooded embankment along Badlands Road.
According to the St. Croix County Sheriff’s Office, emergency dispatchers received a report of the crash at approximately 8:01 a.m. on June 21, 2026. Deputies responding to the scene in the 700 block of Badlands Road discovered the pickup truck deep in a wooded area below the roadway. Swenby was trapped inside the vehicle and showed no signs of life when first responders arrived.
Investigators determined that the truck had been traveling westbound when it crossed the centerline, entered the south ditch, and continued down the embankment before coming to rest. The St. Croix County Medical Examiner pronounced Swenby deceased at the scene.
Officials also reported that Swenby was not wearing a seatbelt at the time of the crash. The exact circumstances that caused the vehicle to leave the roadway remain under investigation.
The St. Croix County Sheriff’s Office was assisted by the Hudson Fire Department, Roberts Fire Department, Lakeview Ambulance, and the St. Croix County Medical Examiner during the response.
Swenby’s sudden passing marks the third traffic fatality recorded in St. Croix County in 2026. As family, friends, and neighbors grieve this heartbreaking loss, many are remembering him for the life he lived and the impact he made on those who knew him.
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