Grafton school teacher dies after crash
GRAFTON – A fourth-grade elementary school teacher has died from injuries she suffered in a car crash the day before Thanksgiving.
Jill Ruland, 51, who taught at Grafton Elementary School, was driving west on Highway 60 about 4 p.m. Nov. 22 near the town of Grafton when a 22-year-old Grafton man driving east in a 2010 Jeep Patriot crossed the centerline and struck Ruland’s 2011 Volvo C30 head-on, according to the Ozaukee County Sheriff ’s Department.
Flight for Life took Ruland to Froedtert Hospital with serious injuries. She died Monday.
The driver of the Jeep was taken to Froedtert with seriousinjuries that were not life-threatening. His passenger, a 19-year-old Grafton woman, was taken to Aurora Medical Center in Grafton, also with nonlife-threatening injuries.
The crash remains under investigation. The Jeep driver was cited for driving left of center.
The Grafton School District sent an email to parents and students Monday.
“Our entire Grafton community will mourn the loss of Ms. Ruland. Although only in our district for this year, Jill made relationships with both staff and students that will last a lifetime. She brought a positive energy every day to her classroom as well as to our district and will be missed,” the email said.
Ruland had also recently been a teacher at Section Elementary School in the Mukwonago Area School District.