By Shereen Siewert
One person is dead following a crash Tuesday on Hwy. 51 at Hwy. J near Irma, officials confirmed.
The crash, reported late Tuesday morning, shut down a portion of southbound Hwy. 51 for more than two hours. Officials say a highway maintenance truck removing snow near the shoulder of the highway was rear-ended by a pickup.
A passenger in the pickup, a 67-year-old man, was transported to a local hospital where he later died, police said. The 26-year-old pickup driver was also injured and was transported to a Wausau hospital, police said. The pickup driver is expected to survive.
The driver of the maintenance truck also suffered minor injuries in the crash, officials said.
Multiple agencies including the Wisconsin State Patrol and Lincoln County Sheriff’s Department responded to the scene of the crash.
According to Lincoln Co. Sheriff’s Lt. Tim Fischer, the State Patrol is the lead agency in the crash investigation.
No names have been released.
