Posted on Apr 27, 2012
Trego residents Gustav and Cynthia Zittlow, 65 and 55 years old respectively, were killed on Friday, April 6, while riding their motorcycle in Barron County, near the village of Haugen.

Gustav and Cynthia Zittlow were riding north on their motorcycle on Highway 53 when they collided with a truck driven by 59-year-old Dayton, Minnesota, resident Richard Caton. The crash occurred when Caton attempted to cross Highway 53 while heading east on County Highway V.

Emergency response personel pronounced both Gustav and Cynthia Zittlow to be dead at the scene of the accident.

Richard Caton and his passenger, wife Jacqueline Caton, 57, both sustained minor injuries which received attention at the scene. The Catons were released without any further medical follow-up needed.

The accident resulted in the Northbound lanes of Highway 53 being closed down to all other traffic for a few hours.

The Barron County Sheriff’s Department is continuing an investigation into the accident, and is being helped along the way by the Wisconsin State Patrol. According to Barron County Sheriff Chris Fitzgerald, several law enforcement branches are working together to determine whether a traffic citation of any sort should be issued to Mr. Caton.

The intersection in question, where Highway 53 meets Highway V, has seen a tremendous increase in traffic since the most recent Department of Transportation data from 2005. According to Marc Bowker, an engineer with the Wisconsin Department of Trnasportation, the area sees an estimated 9,915 vehicles passing through the intersection every day. The planned date to start work improving the intersection is May 7 of this year.

The Madison motorcycle accident lawyers Hupy and Abraham extend their heartfelt condolences to the family and friends of Gustav and Cynthia Zittlow during this tragic time.