Town of Merton - A 26-year-old New Berlin man was killed Saturday morning when his car apparently left the road at a high speed and crashed into a tree.
Gerald C. Rutz was pronounced dead at the scene. According to a Waukesha County Sheriff's Department press release, a motorist called 911 at 6:48 a.m. to report an accident had just occurred on Winkleman Road about one-quarter mile north of Highway K. The motorist reported Rutz was lying in a field and not breathing.
The motorist started CPR on the victim until emergency personnel arrived.
The preliminary investigation shows a 2006 Mitsubishi Lancer was southbound on Winkleman Road traveling at a high speed and became airborne on the crest of a hill south of Ainsworth Road. The car left the roadway, striking a ditch, a culvert and a tree, splitting the car in half. Rutz was found more than 100 feet from the car. Rutz was not wearing a seatbelt.
The Hartland police and fire departments, the Merton Fire Department, the Waukesha County Sheriff's Department and Flight for Life helicopter responded.
Drugs and alcohol do not appear to be a factor in the crash.