Wisconsin senator involved in crash that kills woman and daughter

DULUTH — Wisconsin state Senate Minority Leader Janet Bewley was involved in a three-car crash that killed a 27-year-old woman and her 5-year-old daughter Friday in Ashland, Wis.

Bewley, 70, reportedly had pulled out of a parking lot at Maslowski Beach on Lake Superior to drive east on Hwy. 2 when she collided with a westbound car driven by Alyssa Ortman of Clearfield, Pa.

The collision spun Ortman's car across the highway, where it was hit by a third car, authorities said.

Ortman died at an Ashland hospital; her daughter was pronounced dead at the scene.

Alcohol was not believed to be a factor, Ashland police said. The crash was under investigation.

Bewley, a Democrat from the village of Mason in Bayfield County, was not injured. She announced this year that she planned to retire rather than seek re-election.