Wisconsin: Probation, jail given to driver in fatal tow-truck crash

Probation, jail given to driver in fatal tow-truck crash.  Ellsworth Wisconsin 126 S. Chestnut St. Two weeks at a time for the next five years, Steven E. Dolan will spend his time behind bars. The staggered jail term is meant to serve as a reminder for the life he took, according to the father of fatal crash victim Nate Walsh.

“He’s going to think about that,” River Falls resident Gary Walsh said.

Gary Walsh attended the Jan. 28 sentencing for Dolan, 51, who was convicted of homicide by negligent operation of a vehicle in November 2015 by a Jackson County jury.

Jackson County Circuit Court Judge Anna Becker sentenced the La Crosse man to five years on probation and $11,309 in restitution costs. In addition, Becker sentenced him to spend two weeks in jail on the anniversary of the fatal crash for the duration of his probation.

Becker also asked Dolan to identify two ways he could assist public safety in boosting public awareness.

Gary Walsh said it’s not yet clear what that will be, but he’s hoping Dolan might appear in a public service announcement video. He recalled a video produced by Minnesota public safety officials involving the driver of a fatal crash taking the podium next to the victim’s family.

“Something like that, going all over the media, is dramatic,” he said.

The charge stemmed from an October 2014 crash when Dolan’s vehicle struck and killed Nate Walsh, a tow truck driver who was on the shoulder of Interstate 94 near Osseo, Wis., tending to a disabled vehicle.

Nate, an experienced tow truck driver who learned his trade at shops around Hudson, New Richmond and River Falls, owned his own company -- Osseo-based Loft Towing -- at the time of his death. His name is now included on the International Towing & Recovery Association’s Wall of the Fallen, a memorial built in Chattanooga, Tenn., to honor tow truck drivers killed on the job.

Gary Walsh said he thought Becker’s sentence was appropriate, especially considering what little could be gained by locking Dolan up for an extended period of time.

“This guy didn’t have a clue what he did,” Gary said.

He said he will continue trying to garner support for stiffer penalties that might serve as a deterrent for drivers to obey the law. Gary Walsh cited laws in Illinois and Minnesota that he said have more teeth than Wisconsin’s.

“If I had the money, I’d go out to every county fair in the state and set up a booth,” he said.