At approximately 1:58 a.m. on the morning of Thursday, March 29, the Lincoln County Sheriff’s Office 911 Center received a call of a vehicular crash involving a truck versus a pedestrian outside the bowling alley in Gleason. It was initially reported that a male subject was struck by the truck and that he was unconscious but still breathing. The caller believed that he’d struck the man but that the man was already lying in the lane of traffic at the time of the incident. It was not immediately known as to whether or not another vehicle may have struck the man and fled the scene.
Units responding to the scene included the Lincoln County Sheriff’s Office, Merrill Ambulance, Aspirus MedEvac Helicopter, town of Russell Fire Department and town of Russell First Responders. The victim, a 56-year-old Gleason man, was flown to Aspirus Wausau Hospital directly from the scene. He was pronounced dead approximately 4 hours later.
Reconstruction experts from the Wisconsin State Patrol then responded to the scene to assist in the investigation.
As of Thursday morning it was not believed another vehicle was involved. Neither alcohol nor speed is believed to have been a factor for the operator of the pickup truck. Alcohol and/or a medical issue may have been a factor for the pedestrian, according to a Lincoln County Sheriff’s Department report.
The accident remains under investigation. The name of the victim is being withheld pending notification of relatives.