TINA L. SCOTT
EDITOR
A two-vehicle crash at the southern intersection of Lincoln County Highways K and Q approximately 2.5 miles south of Merrill in the Town of Scott claimed the life of an Oklahoma man and left his wife seriously injured on Tuesday, June 18, 2024.
The crash occurred just after noon and the Lincoln County 911 Dispatch center received a call at 12:12 p.m. reporting a motorcycle and vehicle crash at the intersection with three people injured, one of whom was not breathing.
When Lincoln County deputies arrived on scene, they “found an orange Harley Davidson motorcycle laying on its side in the middle of the intersection and a tan Dodge Caravan off on the west side of the road south of the intersection,” a press release from the Lincoln County Sheriff’s Office said.
The initial investigation determined the Dodge Caravan, operated by an 88-year-old Merrill woman, had been traveling westbound on CTH Q approaching the intersection with CTH K when it stopped at the intersection and then turned to go southbound onto CTH K, pulling directly into the path of the motorcycle which was northbound on CTH K. The motorcycle driver didn’t have enough space or time to react and crashed into the driver’s side of the Caravan, mid-vehicle, and both the motorcycle driver and his passenger were thrown from the bike.
Both the motorcycle driver and his passenger sustained serious injuries and were transported by ground ambulance to Aspirus Wausau Hospital where the driver was then flown to UW-Madison Hospital for advanced care. The passenger was also transported to UW-Madison Hospital. On June 20, the driver, who was identified as 55-year-old Robert Dungan of McAlester, Okla., died at UW-Madison Hospital from injuries sustained in the crash. The passenger, his 47-year-old wife, April Dungan, remained hospitalized at UW-Madison Hospital for treatment of her injuries as of June 20.
The driver of the Dodge Caravan was transported to Aspirus Merrill Hospital after the crash. Her condition is not known. She told investigating deputies “that she thought she had enough time to go in front of the motorcycle,” the release said.
While the Wisconsin State Patrol conducted a reconstruction of the crash, the crash remains under investigation. A two-mile section of CTH K including the intersection of CTH K and CTH Q was shut down for approximately two hours following the crash.
The Merrill Police and Fire Departments also assisted at the scene.