A 47-year-old Mishicot man was killed Wednesday night after his UTV struck a deer on Highway 42, sent him into a ditch and flipped into a utility pole in Manitowoc County. He was ejected from the vehicle, was not wearing a helmet, and died at the scene despite efforts to save him.
According to WBAY, the man was heading home from hunting when the collision with the deer caused him to lose control of the UTV. The vehicle veered into a ditch and overturned before striking the utility pole. Emergency crews responded and attempted life-saving measures at the scene, but he was pronounced dead there, per the station's report.
Exact timing of the crash differs slightly between accounts. WBAY reported it was called in at about quarter after 7 p.m. on Highway 42 just north of East Hillcrest Road, while 1039 WVBO reported that deputies responded at 7:16 p.m. to the same stretch of WIS 42. Both outlets attributed their information to a release from the Manitowoc County Sheriff's Office.
Highway Closed Overnight for Pole Repairs
The crash knocked out the utility pole badly enough that the affected stretch of Highway 42 stayed closed until 1:15 a.m. while crews made repairs, the same account notes. FOX6 News Milwaukee reported that the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources is handling the crash investigation, and that a preliminary review indicates the man lost control of the UTV after it struck the deer.
A Grim Pattern Across Wisconsin
The Mishicot death adds to what has already been a deadly year for off-road vehicles across the state. As of mid-August, Wisconsin had recorded 29 fatal ATV/UTV crashes in 2026, including 13 involving ATVs and 16 involving UTVs, according to WSAW. That same report found rollovers were the most common type of fatal crash, with 15 incidents; collisions with motor vehicles were second, with six.
More recent counts put the statewide toll even higher, though the figures come from different points in the year and aren't directly comparable. WBAY reported that the Manitowoc County crash marked at least the 36th UTV or ATV death in Wisconsin this year, citing Wisconsin DNR data. Separately, WJFW reported the state had seen 31 fatalities this year, citing DNR statistics, with 18 on UTVs and 14 on ATVs.
Helmets, Training and Enforcement
WJFW reported that the Wisconsin DNR has said a large share of injury and fatal crashes involve riders not wearing helmets or seatbelts, operators who haven't completed a required safety course, or some level of impairment. Wisconsin had also logged 49 self-reported nonfatal ATV/UTV crashes as of mid-August, per WSAW's earlier report.
Deer collisions themselves remain a significant hazard on Wisconsin roads generally. The Wisconsin Department of Transportation reported that preliminary data counted 17,795 deer-involved crashes statewide in 2025, causing six fatalities and 720 injuries. Similar tragedies have played out beyond Wisconsin's borders as well — a Thompson, Missouri woman died in a UTV crash in Audrain County in late September, according to KXEO.
