Two serious hit-and-run accidents occurred this past weekend, one ending in the fatality of a woman in her mid-40’s and the other in serious injuries to Badger Herald Opinion Editor Kristin Wieben.

The two incidents occurred within hours of each other late Friday night and early Saturday morning in the 1800 block of E. Washington Ave. and at the corner of W. Washington and Bedford St, respectively.

Both hit-and-run incidents were assumed to be by drunk drivers and none of the suspects have been found.

However, Lt. Wayne Strong of the Madison Police Department said the suspects are not always assumed to be drunk drivers.

“More often than not alcohol is a factor, but other factors such as not having a license or simply being scared contribute to these incidents,” he said.

Consequently, Madison police have mobilized two alcohol patrols for this Saturday’s Badger football game, a day when drinking and traffic on campus greatly increases.

The Dane County sheriff’s office said they hope advanced notification of the alcohol patrols will promote people to choose safe and sober transportation.

Each patrol is scheduled to begin in the early evening hours and will run into early Sunday morning.

Two alcohol-related traffic fatalities occurred after Badger home games last September.

Strong also said hit-and-runs are investigated independently of other crimes.

“Officers have special training to find hit-and-run suspects,” he said. “They usually rely on witnesses and physical evidence to track the suspects.”

Strong also said these occurrences do not happen on a regular basis and are abnormal.

“These are very infrequent occurrences, especially two that close together,” he said. “This is a real anomaly.”

Anyone with information should contact the Madison Police Department Hit and Run section at 266-4060.