A former Wausau man now living in Virginia who was a Marine sniper in the early days of the war in Afghanistan and later worked for a security firm in Iraq died Sunday after being struck by a car while crossing County Road A.
The Lincoln County 911 Center received a cell phone call at 12:55 a.m. Sunday reporting a pedestrian had been struck on County Road A south of County Road U in the Town of Bradley north of the City of Tomahawk.
Deputies from the Lincoln County Sheriff’s Office, Troopers from the Wisconsin State Patrol, Tomahawk Fire Department and Tomahawk EMS all responded to the scene.
Results of a preliminary investigation shows that a vehicle being driven by 51-year old Su O. Borem of Tomahawk was traveling north on County Road A when she struck 33-year old Shane B. Schmidt formerly of Wausau but now living in Hay Market, Virginia. Schmidt was crossing the road to reach a nearby establishment, according to a press release from the Lincoln County Sheriff’s Department.
Schmidt was transported from the scene by Tomahawk EMS to Ministry Sacred Heart Hospital. From there he was transferred by helicopter to the trauma center at Ministry St. Joseph’s Hospital in Marshfield. Just before 5 a.m. Schmidt died there from his injuries.
While the accident is still under investigation, there is no indication that Borem was under the influence of drugs or alcohol at the time of the accident. It is believed that Schmidt was under the influence of alcohol when the crash occurred.
The Wisconsin State Patrol is working to re-construct the crash scene and the highway was closed for almost five hours while their investigation took place.
A 1995 graduate of Wausau East High School, Schmidt was a sergeant in the Marines when he was deployed to Afghanistan in the early days of the war. After being part of the detail to secure the U.S Embassy in Kabul, he also conducted security and reconnaissance patrols in villages where Taliban