The suspect in the drunken driving collision death of good samaritan Lake Mills Fire Captain Chris Truman is scheduled to appear in Dane County Thursday.
Authorities say 28-year-old Samuel Cremers hit Truman New Year’s Eve on the Beltline Highway in Monona, as Truman helped a stranded motorist and her passenger.
Monona Police Detective Sgt. Ryan Losby says Cremers has no previous drunk driving convictions.
Cremers is likely to face several felony charges, including homicide by intoxicated driving. Authorities have yet to release Cremers’ blood alcohol level at the time of the collision.
Losby says the stranded motorist and her passenger were hospitalized with non-life threatening injuries.
Losby says Truman helped the two people get back into their stranded, crashed car and had helped get the car running again, before he was hit by Cremers’ vehicle.
Loved ones say Truman was inspired to join the fire department as a result of the 9/11 tragedy. Officials say Truman was part of the Lake Mills Fire Department for more than 13 years.
Truman’s colleagues say he was a dedicated emergency responder and say they are not surprised he sprung into action while off duty to help those stranded during the Dec. 31 sleet and snowfall.
“He was probably one of the most compassionate firefighters that I have ever met and I’ve been doing this over 35 years,” Captain Mark Bentheimer says.
For more go to WKOW; https://wkow.com/news/top-stories/2019/01/02/suspect-in-crash-that-killed-firefighter-due-in-court-thursday/