Sept. 26, 2026
COON VALLEY, Wis. — A 60-year-old La Crosse County man suffered life-threatening injuries Tuesday afternoon after the motorcycle he was operating struck a deer on State Highway 162 north of Coon Valley, according to the Vernon County Sheriff’s Office.
Sheriff Roy Torgerson said dispatchers received a report of the crash at about 4:30 p.m. Sept. 15 in the town of Coon.
Authorities said Jeffrey Scot Kauffmann, of rural La Crosse, was traveling south on a motorcycle when he struck a deer. Kauffmann initially maintained control of the motorcycle, but while negotiating a curve, the bike drifted to the right and appeared to make contact with a guardrail before coming to rest in the southbound lane.
Kauffmann sustained life-threatening injuries in the crash.
Motorists who stopped at the scene provided emergency aid until first responders arrived and continued care until paramedics took over, authorities said.
Kauffmann was transported by Emplify Health EMS ground ambulance to a landing zone near County Road N in La Crosse County, where he was transferred to an Emplify Health EMS air ambulance. He was then flown to Emplify Health by Gundersen in La Crosse for treatment.
The sheriff’s office said Kauffmann was wearing a full-face helmet, eye protection and long pants at the time of the crash.
Assisting at the scene were the Coon Valley First Responders, Coon Valley Fire Department and La Crosse County Sheriff’s Office. Highway 162 was closed for about 90 minutes during the response and investigation.
The crash remains under investigation by the Vernon County Sheriff’s Office.
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