TRAFFIC FATALITY — Law enforcement begin the grim task of investigating Sunday following a fatal accident on U.S. 8 just east of Bruce. According to Rusk County Sheriff Bruce Kaminski, a westbound pick-up truck struck one of three motorcyclists who had stopped along the highway. Motorcyclist Corey Berkman, 35, of St. Cloud, Minn., died at the scene. The pick-up driver Ronald J. Rasmussen, 42, of Almena fled into a nearby woods. Rasmussen was taken into custody the next morning.

Driver eludes capture for hours after fleeing fatal highway crash

Luke Klink

A 35-year-old St. Cloud, Minn., man was killed Sunday evening, after being hit by a pick-up truck along U.S. 8 about one mile east of Bruce.

The victim Corey Berkman was one of three motorcycle operators who had stopped and parked on the westbound shoulder of the highway near Christman Road. One of the motorcycles was having mechanical problems. A third good samaritan stopped to help the first two motorcyclists who stopped.

“Initial investigation shows that a 1987 Ford Ranger pickup truck was westbound on Highway 8 and struck the parked motorcycles and overturned. Two of the motorcycle operators were able to avoid being struck by the truck, but the third cyclist was struck and died at the scene,” according to a statement released by Rusk County Sheriff David Kaminski.

The pick-up truck driver Ronald J. Rasmussen, 42, of Almena in Barron County, fled into a wooded area. The search included a Rusk County K-9 unit.

Berkman’s parents were notified and arrived at the scene, Kaminski said. The motorcyclists, which included one from Osceola and one from the Rice Lake area, were returning from the annual Tomahawk Fall Ride.

The speed limit where the accident occurred is 55 miles per hour over slightly hilly terrain. The crash happened at about 6:08 p.m.

The highway was quickly shut down to the east at Beebe Road and to the west at County Road E. Traffic in the immediate vicinity was detoured onto nearby roads.

“The operator of the truck had brief contact with the two surviving cyclists, then fled on foot. Law enforcement officers used dogs to search for the missing driver but did not immediately find him,” according to Kaminski.

Road barricades were also set up five miles to the east in Ladysmith at the intersection of U.S. 8 and Wis. 27. Traffic detours lasted several hours, but they were eventually taken down before midnight.

Rasmussen was located Monday morning at about 8 a.m. in the Village of Bruce. He was arrested without incident, after law enforcement received a tip he was staying at a motel in Bruce. The accident occurred on Rasmussen’s birthday.

Berkman is the first traffic fatality in Rusk County this year.

The crash is being investigated by the Wisconsin State Patrol, Rusk County Sheriff’s Office, and Rusk County Coroner’s Office, with assistance from the Bruce Fire Department, Rusk County Ambulance, and Rusk County First Responders. Law enforcement investigators on Monday were still formulating charges to be referred to the district attorney.

Rasmussen has numerous prior arrests, according to a search on the Wisconsin Circuit Court Access web site, including an operating while intoxicated fifth offense felony conviction on a no contest plea following a June 27, 2000, offense.

Kaminski said Monday it was still not known if alcohol played a role in the Sunday accident.