BY TINA L. SCOTT
EDITOR
Two separate fatal crashes near Tomahawk have claimed two lives in less than five days.
Nov. 22 fatality
The first accident occurred on Wednesday, Nov. 22, 2023. The Lincoln County 911 Dispatch Center received a 911 call at approximately 1:28 p.m., reporting a two-vehicle head-on crash had occurred north of Tomwahawk in the Township of Bradley, at the intersection of U.S. Hwy. 8 and Rapel Rd.
The driver of one of the vehicles was reportedly trapped and non-responsive. That driver, later identified as 78-year-old Dexter D. Porter of Sheboygan Falls, was pronounced dead at the scene by Lincoln County Coroner Valerie Caylor.
“The crash is still under investigation and is being reconstructed by the Wisconsin State Patrol,” according to a statement from the Lincoln County Sheriff’s Office (LCSO) on Monday. The initial investigation and witness statements suggest the pickup truck Porter was driving eastbound on U.S. Hwy. 8 crossed the centerline and struck a westbound utility work truck head on. The utility truck, which was occupied by three other male parties, flipped over into the ditch. The driver and passengers in the utility truck reported minor injuries.
U.S. Hwy. 8 was closed for approximately 5 1/2 hours Wednesday. In addition to the LCSO, the following agencies responded to and assisted at the scene: Lincoln County Emergency Medical Services, Oneida County Emergency Medical Services, Lincoln County Coroner’s Office, Oneida County Sheriff’s Office, Wisconsin State Patrol, Tomahawk Police Department, Tomahawk Fire Department, Nokomis Fire Department, Lincoln County Highway Department, and Wisconsin Department of Transportation.
Nov. 26 fatality
On Sunday, Nov. 26, at approximately 7:23 p.m., the Lincoln County 911 Dispatch Center received a report of a motor vehicle crash discovered on Cty. Hwy. S, south of Crass Rd., also in the Township of Bradley. While the report came in at that time, it is not known when the crash occurred. The 911 caller discovered the vehicle flipped over and submerged in Skanawan Creek.
The LCSO, Tomahawk Police Department, Tomahawk Fire Department, and Tomahawk Ambulance responded to the call. The Lincoln County deputy first on scene was unable to locate the driver; however, a short time later the driver was located and pulled from the submerged vehicle. While life-saving measures were performed, those attempts were unsuccessful, and Lincoln County Coroner Caylor officially pronounced the driver deceased.
According to the LCSO, at this point it appears the vehicle driven by the deceased, who was the lone occupant of the vehicle, was northbound on Cty. Hwy. S when the vehicle left the roadway for unknown reasons, rolling over, and entering Skanawan Creek where it came to rest. The crash is still under investigation, and it is not known how long the vehicle was there before being discovered and reported. The name of the victim is being withheld pending notification of family.