Sheriff’s Office identifies man killed when his motorcycle struck a tree in the roadway

DE SOTO, Wis. – Vernon County Sheriff Roy Torgerson reports a motorcyclist was killed when they struck a tree that had fallen on the road near De Soto early Sunday morning. According to the Sheriff’s report the accident happened at approximately 2:00 a.m. on Sunday, July 14 on Holt Road, between Lawrence Ridge Road and Mellem Road, rural De Soto, in the town of Wheatland.

The Sheriff’s Office says the driver, Gary Fred Moore, 71 of rural De Soto was traveling south and struck a tree that had fallen across the roadway as an apparent result of the recent thunderstorm that affected the area. The Sheriff’s report states that Moore sustained very serious injuries and although lifesaving efforts were performed, Gary Moore was pronounced dead at the scene by Vernon County Coroner Bety Nigh.

Assisting the Sheriff’s Office were the Wheatland Fire Department, Wheatland First Responders, Gundersen Tri-State Ambulance, and Vernon Electric Cooperative. The operator was not wearing a helmet.

The incident remains under investigation by the Vernon County Sheriff’s Office and the Vernon County Coroner’s Office