By Gazette staff

PORTAGE COUNTY – A Portage County man was injured when he stepped out of his vehicle onto a Portage County highway. The incident occurred Dec. 11, just before 6 a.m., on County Highway PP in the town of Linwood, southwest of Stevens Point.

According to Portage County Sheriff Mike Lukas, a 19-year-old man was traveling west on Highway PP, when he stopped in his lane of traffic and got out of his vehicle. He then walked into the eastbound, in the path of a vehicle driven by a 59-year-old Linwood woman.

The initial investigation determined the 19-year-old, identified as Henry Wolf, stopped his vehicle to remove live kittens from the roadway. The Linwood woman, identified as Kathleen Kinney, 59, was unable to see the male standing next to his vehicle due to several factors – Wolf’s vehicle headlamps were shining directly at oncoming traffic and he was dressed in all dark clothing.

Wolf was transported to the Marshfield Medical Center, where he continues to recover from serious injuries that are not considered life threatening.

The Portage County Sheriff’s Office was assisted by the Rudolph First Responders and the Stevens Point Fire Department’s Paramedics.

The incident remains under investigation.