A Columbus, Wisconsin man was killed January 5th in an accident involving a farm tractor and a milk tanker truck. 1The accident occurred on State Highway 151 just south of County Highway K and State Highway 73 at around 9:15 a.m. Responders reported when they arrived that the tractor was overturned along the side of the road and the tanker truck was angled down in a ditch a little further down the highway.
Pronounced dead at the scene of the accident was 69-year-old Lawrence Skalitzky, the driver of the farm tractor. The driver of the milk tanker, 45-year-old John Brunssen from Cedar Rapids, Iowa, was not injured in the crash. The Columbia County Sheriff’s Office, Wisconsin State Patrol, Columbus Fire Department, Lifestar EMS and the Columbia County Highway Department all responded to the accident, which remains under investigation. 2
Truck Accidents in Wisconsin
There were more than 7,300 accidents involving large trucks in Wisconsin in 2013 (the most recent year for which there are statistics), according to the Wisconsin Department of Transportation. 3 More than 2,100 people were injured in these accidents and 63 people were killed. This compares to national statistics of 333,000 accidents with 3,900 fatalities and more than 100,000 injuries. 4
In an accident where the cause of the crash isn’t immediately apparent, it’s especially important to enlist the aid of professionals who are experienced in ferreting out the facts in such cases and who have your best interests as their motivation. When a tragedy like this strikes your family or friends, it’s tempting to burrow in and shut out the rest of the world. However, such a situation is just when you need someone fighting for your interests and those of the family.
Sources:
- http://www.wkow.com/story/30888234/2016/01/05/one-dead-in-semi-vs-farm-tractor-crash-in-columbia-co
- http://www.wiscnews.com/news/article_1691a389-7cec-5316-8b00-687b276a3ca5.html
- http://wisconsindot.gov/Pages/about-wisdot/newsroom/statistics/final.aspx
- http://www-nrd.nhtsa.dot.gov/Pubs/811868.pdf