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• Fatal accident just south of River Falls
• Service set for UW-RF chancellor

Pierce County deputies take measurements at the scene of a two-car accident which occurred about 6:40 a.m., Thursday. One person was pronounced dead by the Pierce County Coroner. The other received only minor injuries and was treated on the scene.
 
OAK GROVE TOWNSHIP -- One person was killed and another injured early Thursday when a farm pickup and a Ford Taurus collided at a rural Pierce County intersection east of Prescott.

Authorities were notified at 6:44 a.m. of the crash at Hwy. 10 and CTH E. Officers were still at the scene, taking measurements and arranging for tow trucks at 9:15 a.m.

The name of the deceased wasn't yet available, pending notification of relatives. The driver of the pickup had only minor injuries and was treated at the scene.

It appeared the older Ford truck struck the auto broadside on the driver's side. The crash occurred just after daybreak. There was patchy fog in the area but visibility appeared at least a half-mile at about 8 a.m.

Faculty, students and local citizens filled the university's Abbott Concert Hall Thursday afternoon for a press conference about the early morning death of UW-River Falls Chancellor Ann Lydecker.

The main speaker was UW-RF Provost and Vice Chancellor Ginny Coombs. She's been named interim chancellor by UW-System President Katharine Lyall.

Lydecker died at the scene of a two-vehicle crash in rural Pierce County, at the intersection of Hwy. 10 and County Road E. Just over two months ago, a two-year-old girl died at that same intersection in another two-vehicle collision.

Coombs said it was ironic that when the crash occurred, Lydecker -- the first UW-RF woman chancellor -- was on her way to UW-Plattville to speak on the topic "Breaking the Glass Ceiling." The speech was part of that university's Women's History Month.

Lydecker's car was hit by a pickup truck driven by Robert E. Bang, 56, Ellsworth.

According to Pierce Sheriff Everett Muhlhausen, who also spoke at the UW-RF press conference, Bang's injuries were minor. He was not hospitalized.

Muhlhausen said the accident is still under investigation. Neither road conditions nor the morning fog, he said, appear to have caused the accident. Both drivers were buckled.

Coombs told the crowd of that everyone was "in a state of shock" that the university's "beloved chancellor is no longer with us."

Coombs said Lydecker so enjoyed getting about and mixing with students on campus. She was known, Coombs said, for her "ear-to-ear smile" and "sparkling eyes."

"She loved people," Coombs said. "And she celebrated education."

Coombs said Lydecker was dedicated to the idea that "the university has a duty to serve the citizens of Wisconsin," and that included economic development initiatives she undertook for the St. Croix Valley.

A memorial service for Lydecker, open to the public, will be held at 3 p.m. Monday at UW-RF's Karges Center.

Look for much more on Lydecker in the March 31 River Falls Journal.