On Sunday, July 30th, at 4:34pm Marinette County Dispatch received a call of a single UTV rollover crash on Right of Way Road in the Town of Lake with two parties being injured. The investigation indicated that the UTV, operated by 54-year-old Joseph La Pierre of Porterfield, was traveling north on Right of Way Road near Maple Crest Road and traveled left of the centerline and into the gravel on the west shoulder. The UTV appeared to have overcorrected after traveling in the gravel for a short time, lost control, went into the ditch on the east shoulder, and rolled over in the ditch. La Pierre was wearing a seatbelt, however, sustained fatal injuries from the crash and was pronounced deceased at the scene by the Marinette County Medical Examiner’s Office. A female passenger who was unbelted and ejected during the crash sustained non-life-threating injuries. Alcohol and a failure to maintain control appear to have been factors in the crash that remains under investigation by the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources, Marinette County Sheriff’s Office, and the Marinette County Medical Examiner. Assisting Marinette County Deputies at the scene were members of the Town of Lake Fire Department, Crivitz Rescue, and Bay Area Rescue.
This is the third traffic fatality in Marinette County in 2023.