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The Daily Cardinal Est. 1892
Tuesday, February 11, 2025

Junior dies when car veers into oncoming traffic in northern Wisconsin

UW-Madison junior Anna Shoemaker, remembered for her fun-loving personality and ability to ""tell it like it is,"" died Jan. 13 from injuries caused by a car accident.

Shoemaker, 20, was riding in the passenger seat while her friend, Elizabeth Burns, drove south on U.S. Highway 63 in Bayfield County.

Burns, also 20, lost control of the car, swerved into oncoming traffic and hitting a semi, according to the Bayfield County Sheriff's Department.

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Shoemaker, from Hudson, Wis., was airlifted to St. Mary's Hospital in Duluth, Minn., where she later succumbed to her injuries.

Burns is in stable condition and the semi driver was not injured.

She is remembered by family and friends as an organized, athletic music lover who enjoyed spending time with friends.

""Anna was very outspoken, very blunt,"" said Erick Siegenthaler, a friend of Shoemaker. ""She was full of energy and liked to have a good time.""

Shoemaker was pursuing a degree in environmental policy and planned to apply to law school after graduation. She was preparing to leave for a semester abroad in Venezuela this week.

Although her own life ended early, Shoemaker saved the lives of six people through the donation of her heart, kidneys, pancreas and liver, according to a CaringBridge website set up by her family.

Icy roads are suspected to have contributed to the accident. The crash is under investigation by the Washburn County Sheriff's Department.

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