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A White Pine man was killed Saturday evening when his car rear-ended an Ontonagon County Road Commission plow truck.
Ontonagon Country sheriff’s deputies say 48-year-old Darren Jay Tuomi was westbound on M-64 near Stroud Road at 8:09 pm. As he came up on the slower-moving westbound plow truck, the truck lifted its wing, and moved toward the center of the roadway to avoid a pedestrian walking westerly on the shoulder of the highway. Tuomi’s 2004 Volkswagen Golf hit the rear end of the plow truck.
Tuomi was extricated from the vehicle. He was taken to Aspirus Ontonagon Hospital, and then airlifted to Aspirus Wausau, where he died from his injuries. Ontonagon County officials say that speed and alcohol were a factor in the crash, which remains under investigation.
Richard Alan Laingren of Ontonagon has been identified as the driver of the plow truck.
Ontonagon County sheriff’s deputies were assisted by Michigan State Police troopers from the Wakefield post, the Ontonagon Village Fire Department, SONCO North Ambulance, Aspirus Medevac, the Ontonagon County Road Commission, and Dishaw Towing.
