Injured driver found hours after crash on Hwy. 29

A 68-year-old man who was injured in an early morning crash Wednesday was discovered hours later by a person fishing on the Wolf River, according to the Shawano County Sheriff’s Department.

The single-vehicle crash was reported at about 8:45 a.m. Aug. 28 off Hwy. 29 near Hwy. 22 in the town of Belle Plaine. But officials say the crash happened around 3 a.m. when the driver, headed west on Hwy. 29, veered into the median, missing a guard rail. The vehicle fell down a deep embankment and landed in the river on its side in a secluded area.

The driver, whose name has not been released, said he had been lying in the water for hours yelling for help. A fisherman heard his cries and called 911.

First responders removed the victim from the river and transported him by boat before sending him to an area hospital for treatment. The severity of his injuries has not been specified.

A portion of Hwy. 29 was shut down for several hours while crews rescued the man and cleared the crash scene.

The crash remains under investigation.