On Tuesday, February 28, 2023 at 5:54am, Sawyer County Sheriff’s Deputies assisted by the Bayfield County Sheriff’s Office, Sawyer County EMS, Town and City of Hayward Fire Departments, Wisconsin State Patrol and the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources responded to a 911 call reporting a two-vehicle crash involving a semi-trailer truck and a passenger vehicle. The crash was located on US Highway 63 near the intersection of Northern Lights Rd in the Town of Lenroot.
Preliminary investigation indicates that a 1999 Chevrolet Tracker operated by Harley J. Karow, 27, of Cable, WI was traveling north on US Hwy 63. The vehicle crossed the centerline and collided head on with a southbound semi-trailer truck operated by Thomas A. Franchek, 55, of Ashland, WI. Karow sustained fatal injuries and was pronounced deceased at the scene. A passenger in the Karow vehicle, Andrew J. Ferguson, 31, of Hayward, WI sustained life-threatening injuries and was air lifted to a Minnesota hospital for medical treatment. The extent of his injuries is unknown at this time. The driver of the semi-trailer truck sustained no known injuries.
The crash remains under investigation by the Sawyer County Sheriff’s Office, Wisconsin State Patrol and the Sawyer County Coroner’s Office.
