Two drivers killed on Highway 53; wrong-way circumstances unresolved

The collision happened shortly before 6 p.m. Wednesday, Nov. 4, 2026, at milepost 191 in Douglas County’s Town of Wascott. WDIO gives the time as 5:57 p.m.; the Superior Telegram describes it as shortly before 6 p.m. Those accounts are consistent on the location and the sequence reported by investigators.⁠1⁠2⁠3

The drivers were James Paske, 80, of Minong, and Nicholas Groszbach, 47, of Hibbing, Minnesota. Both sustained fatal injuries. Each was alone in his vehicle, meaning everyone traveling in the two vehicles died. Their identities became public Nov. 5, the day after the crash.⁠1⁠2

There is an unresolved discrepancy in the Hibbing driver’s surname. In their Nov. 5 coverage, WDIO spells it “Groszbach,” while the Superior Telegram uses “Groszback.” This article uses WDIO’s spelling; no direct official record available for this account resolves the difference. The outlets otherwise agree on his first name, age and hometown.⁠1⁠2

The State Patrol’s initial account is more specific than a report that two vehicles collided while traveling in opposite directions. According to the news release described by the Superior Telegram, evidence at the scene indicates that one vehicle was moving south within the northbound lanes and collided with a vehicle traveling north.⁠1

That distinction places the vehicles on a collision course within the northbound side of Highway 53. It does not describe each vehicle using the side of the highway intended for its direction of travel. It is the basis for describing this as a suspected wrong-way collision, rather than simply a crash involving northbound and southbound traffic.⁠1

But the finding has a clear limit: the available coverage does not connect either named man to the southbound vehicle. Naming the drivers and describing the vehicles’ movements are separate pieces of information. The reports establish both men’s deaths without establishing which man was driving in which direction. Neither should be labeled the wrong-way driver on that evidence.⁠1⁠2

The preliminary reconstruction also leaves the events before the collision unexplained. The accounts do not identify where a vehicle entered the northbound lanes, how long it traveled against traffic or what put it there. They do not establish vehicle makes and models or either driver’s destination. Those gaps prevent a fuller explanation of the crash, not just a more detailed description of it.⁠1⁠2

Deputies from the Washburn County and Douglas County sheriff’s offices responded, along with Gordon Emergency Medical Services, Wascott Fire and EMS, and Minong Fire. Wisconsin State Patrol is investigating. The responding agencies span both counties, while the reported crash site itself was in Douglas County, north of Minong.⁠1⁠2

The Superior Telegram’s update note says its account was originally posted at 8:53 a.m. Nov. 5 and updated at 4:19 p.m. to add the drivers’ names. That update supplied identities, not a final explanation: the report continued to describe the direction-of-travel evidence as preliminary and the investigation as ongoing.⁠1

The available local reporting also supplies no verified closure duration, detour or reopening time. It should not be read as a current traffic advisory for Highway 53. What remains necessary is an investigative account that links the vehicles to their drivers and explains the circumstances preceding the impact. Until then, the reported movement of a vehicle against traffic is an initial finding—not a final determination of cause or responsibility.⁠1⁠2