A MAN IN MARATHON COUNTY, Wisconsin, died Wednesday after falling off the top of a van while traveling down the highway. Police say that Mathew Fitzwater, 33, of Schofield and a friend were transporting a box spring and mattress by tying them to the top of the friend’s van.
But as it sometimes happens, the ropes holding them on came loose and the bedding threatened to fly off. So Fitzwater climbed on top of the van and sat on the mattress set with the expectation of holding them down for the rest of the trip.
The medical examiner says that he was killed by blunt-force trauma that occurred when his head hit the pavement after the mattress flew off anyway.
WSAW-TV image
WEAU-TV Ch. 13 Wausau has the video report:
The van’s driver Sherman Robinson, 65, said he was driving about 15 mph when it happened. According to police, Robinson will receive a citation for driving with a person riding illegally, which comes with a $175 fine and two points on his driving record. They are not expecting to file any criminal charges against Robinson who was Fitzwater’s future father-in-law.
The Wausau Daily Herald has the complete STORY.
