Waukesha County fatal Christmas Eve crash; vigil held for tow truck driver
SUMMIT, Wis. - The community is coming together to remember a man killed in a Waukesha County crash that happened on Tuesday, Dec. 24.
The Waukesha County Sheriff's Department said the crash happened in the Village of Summit at 6:41 p.m. when a tow truck operator was loading a disabled vehicle on the shoulder of eastbound I-94, east of Sawyer Road. As the tow operator was loading the disabled vehicle, he was struck by a blue minivan that fled the scene.
The victim has also been identified as 40-year-old Hussain Farhat, of Yaffo Towing in Chicago.
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On Wednesday, a night when many would be celebrating Christmas, dozens of tow operators joined to light up the night with their trucks, in honor of Farhat’s life.
"Everyone coming out here on Christmas Day, coming with their families to pay their respects for him," said Kris Martinez, who organized the vigil.
Waukesha County fatal Christmas Eve crash; tow truck driver struck
A 40-year-old man is dead after a crash on I-94 in Waukesha County on Tuesday, Dec. 24.
People at the vigil said they hope the tragedy can serve as a reminder for drivers to move over for first responders helping a car on the road.
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Officials said the suspect, a 39-year-old man, turned himself in. Investigators received a tip from somebody that spotted a car that matched the description of the minivan at a home in the Village of Wales.
The man is now in custody at the Waukesha County Jail, booked on a charge of a hit-and-run causing death.
"We do leave our homes and families on the holidays to go out and help people, and take them on the side of the road," Martinez said. "Because we have to do it, but it's a duty we want to do."
The cause of the crash remains under investigation.
The Wisconsin State Patrol, Village of Summit Police Department, City of Delafield Police Department, Lake County Fire Department and Western Lakes Fire Department all assisted in the Tuesday incident.