By Jalen Maki
Tomahawk Leader Co-Editor
IRMA – A Tomahawk man is dead and two other men are injured after a pickup truck hit a highway maintenance truck on Highway 51 near Irma on Tuesday, Feb. 18.
According to a press release, the Wisconsin State Patrol responded to a report of a two-vehicle crash on US Highway 51 near County Road J near Irma at approximately 11:51 a.m. Upon arrival, a trooper determined that a southbound 2014 Chevrolet Silverado rear-ended a highway maintenance truck that was conducting snow removal near the shoulder of Highway 51.
The driver of the pickup, Keaton Thompson, 26, of Tomahawk, was transported to Aspirus Hospital in Wausau with non-life threatening injuries. The passenger, Thomas Thompson, 67, of Tomahawk, was transported to Good Samaritan Hospital in Merrill, where he was pronounced dead. The driver of the maintenance truck, Jason Wichman, 48, of Gleason, sustained minor injuries, the State Patrol said.
The Wisconsin State Patrol Technical Reconstruction Unit responded to reconstruct the crash. The Lincoln County Sheriff’s Department assisted the State Patrol. The investigation remains ongoing.