UPDATE: The victim has been identified as 49-year-old Andrew J. Nowak of Casco.
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A bicyclist was hit and killed by a vehicle near Algoma early Tuesday morning. It happened about 500 feet east of County Highway D along State Highway 54 where both the vehicle and bicyclist were headed east bound. Today authorities in Kewaunee County are investigating the crash further.
At about 5:30 Tuesday morning in the township of Ahnapee a man on a bicycle was struck and killed on a busy state highway. Today authorities are saying they don’t believe the driver or bicyclist was at fault and that it was likely just tragic occurrence.
Just two miles west of Algoma along Highway 54, it’s known to be busy. Farmers, pickup trucks, and semi’s are all in an abundance on the stretch of road most days. And for those who live along highway 54, they know it's only worse during the morning commute.
"Everybody is all grouped together. Everybody likes to leap frog each other and passing each other a lot," says Josh Latour of Algoma who lives along highway 54.
This morning the commute was deadly as a 20-year old man from Luxemburg traveling about 55 miles per hour hit a bicyclist in his lane. Both men according to law enforcement are believed to have been obeying traffic laws.
"The conditions couldn't be better for a morning out on a bike but unfortunately when you get a clear day like this there are other obstructions that come into play," says Sheriff Matt Joski of the Kewaunee County Sheriff’s Office.
Authorities say the driver of that truck was headed east bound down highway 54 at about 5:30 Tuesday morning. At that point in the day the sun was coming up and the driver told the Kewaunee County Sheriff’s office that he was blinded by the sun. Authorities believe the driver didn't see the man on his bike and struck him.
"It's a terrible tragedy but again in this case, neither of the individuals were doing anything illegal or wrong," adds Sheriff Joski.
“Hopefully the cyclist was doing the right thing and hopefully the driver, I feel bad for the driver… If he didn’t see him he didn’t see him and that’s just unfortunate,” adds Latour.
And while the investigation is still underway, for those who frequent this stretch of highway the results will be a constant reminder of what happened to someone who was from just down the road.
The Kewaunee Sheriff's office has yet to release the identity of that Casco man that was struck and killed but they plan to do so in the next 24 hours.
The Kewaunee County Sheriff's Department and the Wisconsin State Patrol's Accident Reconstruction team are currently handling the investigation.
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Original Story...
Deputies with Kewaunee County report a 49 year old Casco man has died from injuries suffered in a bicycle vs truck crash.
It happened just before 5:30 Tuesday morning on STH 54. The truck, driven by a 20 year old Luxemburg man was heading east on the highway when the accident happened. The operator of the bicycle was pronounced dead at the scene.
