On May 14th, 2023 at approximately 8:30 P.M., the Vernon County Sheriff’s Office 9-1-1 Dispatch Center received a call about a person trapped under an ATV, on private property.  Francis J. Stanek, age 66, of rural Hillsboro, WI was removed from beneath the ATV by family members prior to the arrival of the first responding units.  Following the rescue, Stanek was transported by La Farge Area Ambulance to an awaiting Gundersen Air helicopter.  The injuries were life-threatening, but emergency medical personnel worked to stabilize the patient prior to air transport to Gundersen Health System, in La Crosse, WI. 

 

Assisting the Sheriff’s Office were the Yuba Fire Department, Yuba First Responders, La Farge Area Ambulance, La Farge Fire Department, Gundersen Air, and the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources.

 

This incident remains under joint investigation by the Vernon County Sheriff’s Office and the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources.