By Shereen Siewert | Wausau Pilot & Review
A 41-year-old Merrill man is expected to face homicide charges after a crash Saturday that left an 8-year-old boy dead and a woman critically injured, police say.
Alcohol is suspected in the crash, which was reported at about 7:20 p.m. on Hwy. 17 near Sunrise Road in the town of Merrill. Multiple deputies from the sheriff’s office, along with several troopers from the Wisconsin State Patrol responded to the scene.
Police say the Merrill man was headed southbound on Hwy. 17 when he crossed the center line and struck a northbound Chevrolet Silverado pickup head on. The driver of the Silverado, a 42-year-old Gleason man, was injured, along with a 9-year-old girl who was a passenger in the pickup. Their injuries have been described as not life-threatening.
But a 37-year-old woman, also a passenger in the pickup, was critically injured and flown to Aspirus Wausau Hospital. An 8-year-old Gleason boy died of his injuries, police said.
The Merrill man, who was driving a Dodge Ram, was taken to a hospital for medical clearance before Lincoln County deputies transported him to the Lincoln County Jail.
There, he was booked on a charge of Homicide by intoxicated use of a motor vehicle. The crash remains under investigation and additional charges are possible.
The Wisconsin State Patrol reconstructed the crash, which shut down a portion of Hwy. 17. The road reopened at 3:18 a.m., nearly eight hours after the crash was reported.
Names have not been released.
