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A Racine youth died Friday of internal and head injuries sustained in a car-train colli sion shortly after noon in Oak Creek. Pronounced dead at 5:44 p.m. at Trinity Memorial Hospital in Cudahy was Willi am C. Prochaska, 18, a 1970 graduate of William Horlick High School and a drill press operator at Jacobsen Manu facturing Co. He was the son of Mr. and Mrs. Francis Prochaska of 2901 Shady Lane in Crestview. According to Michael Slusar of the Oak Creek Police De partment, who investigated the accident, Prochaska was the only occupant of the automo bile when it collided with a Chicago North Western Rail way switch engine about 1:30 p. m. The patrolman said a con ductor on the engine, Warren A. Troyer of West Allis, told him the engine was moving at about 15-20 m.p.h. near the center of Oak Creek, at East Ryan Road, when it made con tact with Prochaska’s car. “From what we could determine,”’ Slusar said, “‘the right front door of Prochas ka’s car was hit by the cou pling of the switch engine as it moved along the tracks by itself. “The conductor said the brakes had just been set, be cause it was just beginning to approach a small turn.” He said the car was hit and dragged along by the engine about 400 feet onto the edge of a field. “We have no idea what caused the accident,” Slusar said. “Visibility was good, there were no skid marks to indicate Prochaska applied his brakes, the road was very dry at the time.” Prochaska was believed to be the first Racine County resident to die in a traffic accident in 1971. Funeral arrangements for Tuesday were being made this morning by Acklam Funeral Home in Racine. Prochaska is survived by his parents, four sisters and a brother-in-law; three brothers and one sister-in-law; grand parents; a niece and 2 nephew. WILLIAM PROCHASKA.
Newspaper Details
Racine Journal Times
Racine, Wisconsin, US
Sat, Jan 09, 1971
Page 1
Full Page
Clipped by
Chad L.
USA 08 Jun 2026
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