By Hub City Times staff

WISCONSIN RAPIDS – A suburban Milwaukee man is dead after the car he crashed went into the ditch of a Wood County cranberry marsh.

The crash occurred shortly before 7 a.m. on Dec. 6 on Elm Road just south of Lincoln Road in the Wood County town of Hansen.

According to the Wood County Sheriff’s Department, the vehicle was found partially submerged in water when deputies arrived on scene. The driver, identified now as 58-year-old Kevin Kostuch of New Berlin, sustained serious injuries, and was pronounced dead shortly after medical personnel arrived on scene.  His passenger—25-year-old Rowan Kostuch also from New Berlin—was transported to the Marshfield Medical Center. Investigators don’t know how long the two men were exposed to the elements before help arrived.

Deputies said alcohol appears to be a contributing factor in the crash—which remains under investigation.

Fire departments from Pittsville and Vesper responded, along with the Life Link Three helicopter and the Wood County Sheriff’s Department.