One person dies in fiery crash

A Gillett man died in a fiery crash in the Town of Gillett on Oct. 7.

An Oconto County Sheriff’s Department traffic report identifies the victim as Lawrence J. Woodke, 66.
Oconto County Sheriff Todd Skarban said the Emergency Dispatch Center was notified of a one-vehicle accident on Old 22 Road near Finnegan Lake Lane about 11:10 p.m.

When deputies arrived on scene, they found a lone vehicle engulfed in flames in a wooded area adjacent to the ditch. The vehicle had been traveling west on Old 22 Road prior to leaving the road and entering the ditch near Finnegan Lake Lane.

According to the traffic report, the vehicle was westbound on Old 22 Road at a high rate of speed when it failed to negotiate a left curve 553 feet north of Gandt Road, went down a steep embankment and struck a tree.
Woodke, the lone occupant died on scene, Skarban said.

The Oconto County Sheriff’s Office was assisted by the Wisconsin State Patrol, the Gillett Police Department, the Town of Gillett Fire Department, City of Gillett Fire Department and the Gillett Area Ambulance Service. An ongoing investigation is being conducted by the sheriff’s office, Wisconsin State Patrol and the Brown County Medical Examiner’s Office.