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The man who died Wednesday in a fiery crash on I-94 in Kenosha County was from Racine.
John M. Punak, 25, died after his car struck a light pole on the off-ramp at Highway 50. There is not an apparent cause for the accident, but our friends at Racine Uncovered News report that witnesses at the scene told officers Punak appeared to be in distress right before the crash.
Racine Uncovered covered the breaking news and posted this press release from the Kenosha County Sheriff’s Office:
Today at 1340 hours Kenosha County Sheriff’s Deputies responded with the City of Kenosha Fire Department to the scene of a fatal crash on the I-94 SB off ramp for STH 50 at 71st St. A 2006 Mercury Milan was traveling Southbound on the I-94 exit ramp for Hwy 50 in Kenosha County. At the intersection of the off ramp with 71st St the vehicle struck a traffic light pole. The collision crushed the vehicle and killed the driver. The cause of the crash is under investigation. There are no obvious reasons for the crash to have happened. The roads were clear and dry, no other vehicles were involved. The severity of the damage makes it clear that the vehicle was traveling at a high rate of speed. There were no skid marks to indicate that the driver tried to stop the vehicle before impact … The off ramp for STH 50 was closed for approximately 3.5 hours, re-opening at 1707 hrs. The investigation continues.