October 28, 2022 – Dodge Co., WI – Shortly after 8 a.m. on Friday, October 28, 2022, the sheriff’s office received 911 calls of a motorcycle crash with suspect serious injuries on County Highway (CTH) E, just east of CTH A, in the township of Burnett, about two miles east of Beaver Dam.
The initial investigation showed a 32-year-old male from Ripon was operating a motorcycle westbound on CTH E and was passing a semi in a no-passing zone, and on a curve. As the motorcycle was negotiating a right-hand curve during the pass, it was on the wrong side of the road, on the opposite shoulder and struck a raccoon with oncoming traffic approaching. The motorcycle left the roadway, still upright, and continued into a tall grassy area where it collided with a guy-wire for a utility pole.
The operator was wearing a helmet and was transported by ambulance to a nearby hospital, where a medical helicopter met them for transport to a trauma center. The operator was believed to have life-threatening injuries.
The crash remains under investigation by the Dodge County Sheriff’s Office. Assisting at the scene were the Beaver Dam Fire and Paramedics, and Dodge County Emergency Management. Flight for Life flew the patient from the hospital. Though still under investigation, alcohol use, speed, and reckless driving were identified as factors in the crash.