Colby man charged with felony after driving wrong way on Hwy. 29
A 63-year-old Colby man is being charged with multiple offenses as a result of a traffic accident that caused a motorist to be airlifted on May 4.
According to court records, Joseph G. Feldbruegge is being charged with a felony count of second degree recklessly endangering safety and a misdemeanor count of operating while intoxicated causing injury (first offense).
If convicted of the felony count, Feldbruegge would face up to $25,000 in fines and could face 10 years in prison. The misdemeanor count calls for a fine between $300 - $2,000 and up to one year in county jail with up to two years of a revoked driver’s license, if convicted.
According to the Clark County Sheriff’s Office, Feldbruegge was traveling the wrong way at approximately 9:06 p.m. on May 4 as he was traveling eastbound in the westbound lane of Hwy. 29.
The criminal complaint states an officer was tending to a car/ deer accident in the westbound lane of Hwy. 29 in the town of Hoard when the officer observed a Ford Edge SUV traveling eastbound in the fast lane. The vehicle sped past the officer and narrowly missed an oncoming vehicle behind the officer’s position.
The officer initiated a pursuit of the vehicle traveling in the eastbound lane parallel to Feldbruegge’s vehicle in the westbound lane. The officer said the vehicle reached speeds of approximately 99 mph. Near the intersection of Hwy. 29 and Pelsdorf Ave., the officer shined his spot light at the vehicle to get the driver’s attention and warn oncoming traffic. The officer said he only shined the light when he believed it would not negatively affect anyone else’s ability to see and did not use it continuously.
The officer stated he observed vehicle after vehicle veer into the slow lane to avoid being hit by Feldbruegge. He said it passed 40 different vehicles before crashing into the 41st.
Near the intersection of Hwy.
29 and Badger Ave., the officer noticed a semi truck and trailer in the westbound slow lane and a Subaru in the fast lane. The SUV driven by Feldbruegge crashed head on into the Subaru in the fast lane, directly in front of a Colby/Abbotsford Police Department officer who was near the intersection.
According to the report, two officers from the CAPD were on-scene immediately and two Clark County Deputies arrived on scene as well. The Clark County Officers checked on the driver of the Subaru who had come to rest in the median.
The victim said she was driving home to Owen when someone hit her. The victim had suspected serious injuries and was later airlifted to Marshfield Medical Center.
The officer went back to Feldbruegge’s vehicle which had rolled over two times before coming to rest in the middle of Hwy. 29.
Feldbruegge said he had a couple of beers at the golf club in Owen, stating he had been there since 4:30 p.m. He stated he was not injured and said there was no one in the car with him. The officers collected his phone number and driver’s license information.
Central Fire and EMS District units arrived and extricated Feldbruegge from his vehicle and transported him to Marshfield Medical Center in Marshfield. The reporting officer cleared the crash scene and traveled to Marshfield Medical Center.
There, the officer informed Feldbruegge that he was placing him under arrest for cause injury/ operating while under the influence (first offense). Feldbruegge would not consent to an evidentiary chemical test of his blood.
Later, the officer obtained a signed search warrant for a blood draw and two vials of blood were taken for the test. Documents did not indicate the results of the test.
Both drivers were wearing a seat belt at the time of the incident and air bags deployed on both vehicles. The incident caused the highway to be shut down for approximately an hour and 45 minutes.
Court records indicate Feldbruegge signed a signature bond through Clark County and has since been charged with forfeitures including: refusal to take test for intoxication after arrest, unreasonable and imprudent speed and deviation from designated lane.
Feldbruegge will next appear in Clark County court on June 27 at 9 a.m.
