For the Rapids City Times

ROME – A Franklin teen is hospitalized in stable condition after attempting to retrieve a life jacket from the shoulder of State Highway 13 in the town of Rome.

At approximately 10:48 am on Sept. 1, the Rome Police Department responded to the 500 block of State Highway 13 for a report of an individual who was struck by a vehicle. Upon arrival, officers found a juvenile still in the south traffic lane.

It was determined that the 14-year-old female had left her parents vehicle, which was stopped on the north shoulder of Hwy 13, to retrieve a life jacket that had blown out of a boat they were towing.

The 14-year-old was struck by a northbound 2012 Chevrolet Malibu, operated by Michael J. Geiger, 52, Rome, as she ran to get the life jacket from the southbound shoulder.

The teen, from Franklin, was transported to the Rome Fire Department by Nekoosa Ambulance, and was then flown out by an Ascension Spirit Medical Helicopter. She remains hospitalized in stable condition at Marshfield Medical Center.

The crash remains under investigation by the Wisconsin State Patrol and Rome Police Department.

The Adams County Sheriff’s Office, Wisconsin State Patrol, Rome Fire Department, Nekoosa Ambulance Service, and Ascension Spirit Helicopter assisted with the crash.