By allowing ads to appear on this site, you support the local businesses who, in turn, support great journalism.
Beloit man dies after accident
Placeholder Image
BRODHEAD - A man critically injured in a collision Sunday just south of Brodhead has been pronounced dead by the Green County Coroner's Office in the first fatal car crash in the county this year.

Colton P. Van Marter, 21, Beloit, was in critical condition after the accident. Green County Sheriff Mark Rohloff said in a press release the department was notified of the death at noon Wednesday.

According to reports by the sheriff's office, Van Marter was driving southbound on County T in the town of Spring Grove when he failed to obey a stop sign at the intersection of Wisconsin 81 and was hit by another vehicle heading eastbound just before 3 p.m. The front of the vehicle driven by Robin M. Smith, 52, Beloit, collided with the front-passenger side of Van Marter's. Both vehicles ended up in the ditch, with Van Marter's car continuing 100 feet into a nearby field.

He was suspected of causing the crash as a result of intoxicated driving.

Smith was injured in the accident and taken via EMS to a local hospital for nonlife-threatening injuries. Van Marter was flown to University of Wisconsin Hospital in Madison by MedFlight. Each car was towed from the scene after sustaining severe damage.

Brodhead Police Department announced Monday that officers were investigating events which happened earlier in the day, including witness accounts that indicated Van Marter had flashed a knife in the McDonald's drive-thru in Brodhead and gotten into an argument with his girlfriend over their infant daughter.

Police interviews discovered while Van Marter was in the drive-thru at McDonald's, the driver behind him honked to indicate he should move forward because no one was in the line ahead. The occupants of the car told police that Van Marter brandished a knife before proceeding to the window, where a cashier said he paid for his food with blood on his hands.

Later at a residence in the 900 block of 19th Street, police found during an interview with Van Marter's girlfriend that the two became involved in a disagreement, possibly over whether he should take their daughter with him. During the verbal altercation, he threw food at another person. Van Marter's girlfriend told police that Van Marter said he had been stabbed by an unknown man while at the drive-thru.

Brodhead Police Chief Chris P. Hughes said in a statement authorities plan to conduct follow-up investigations, "especially into Van Marter's accusation he was stabbed."