MONROE — A jury last week was left to decide the fate of a pickup truck driver who rear-ended a buggy last summer in Lafayette County, fatally injuring a young Amish man.

The victim, Elmer K. Stoltzfus, 22, Gratiot, was airlifted July 23 to a Madison hospital but died the next morning due to his “extensive” injuries from the crash, the Lafayette County Sheriff’s Office reported. His 2-year-old brother, meanwhile, was also hospitalized for severe injuries from the crash, but survived.

The accident happened at about 7:15 p.m. on Wisconsin 11 just west of Gratiot.

Terry Allen Gensler, 50, Shullsburg, the driver of the 2017 Dodge pickup truck, was uninjured and his jury trial was scheduled to continue on Friday, Jan 13, according to court records, which also indicated that closing arguments had been made by early afternoon Thursday in the case.

Gensler was initially arrested on a first-offense charge of operating while intoxicated causing injury and was cited for possession of open intoxicants in a motor vehicle. But after Stoltzfus died, Gensler was hit with a felony charge of homicide by intoxicated use of a vehicle.

Here’s how investigators say it happened: Stoltzfus was westbound in an open-style buggy and about to turn left into the driveway at 11263 Wis. 11 when Gensler’s pickup truck struck the buggy from behind, according to the preliminary investigation by deputies.

That impact threw Stoltzfus and his brother from the buggy and killed the horse pulling their buggy. Damage to the car was minor.

The crash shut down Wis. 11 for almost an hour. Wisconsin state court records show no prior criminal or traffic offenses for Gensler in the area.