For the Gazette

Submitted by the Portage County Sheriff’s Department

LINWOOD — On Tuesday, Jan. 15, at approximately 9:45 AM, the Portage County Sheriff’s Office  received a report of a single vehicle traffic crash on West River Drive, approximately ¼ mile north of Blue Heron Lane in the Town of Linwood.

Upon arrival, deputies found that the driver and sole occupant was unresponsive. Despite immediate life saving measures, he was subsequently pronounced dead at the scene.

There were no other occupants of the vehicle.

The initial investigation showed a 2004 Jeep Grand Cherokee driven by a 75-year-old Town of  Linwood man was southbound on West River Drive approaching a curve in the roadway.

The vehicle left the paved portion of the roadway and entered the east ditch where it struck a tree. The cause of the crash remains under investigation by both the Portage County Sheriff’s Office  and the Portage County Medical Examiner.

This is the first fatal crash in Portage County in 2019.

There were 7 fatal traffic crashes in Portage County in 2018.

The name of the driver is not being released at this time pending notification of his family.