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Orfordville man dies in motorcycle accident

WALES — An Orfordville man died and his wife was injured Wednesday when a pickup truck collided with the motorcycle they were riding, according to the Waukesha County Sheriff’s Office.

Mark Wellnitz, 49, of Orfordville, was pronounced dead at the scene, said sheriff’s Detective Steve Pederson. Wellnitz’s wife, Kristine Wellnitz, 46, was flown by helicopter to Froedtert Memorial Lutheran Hospital in Wauwatosa. The hospital reported she was in critical condition Friday afternoon.

The couple were riding a 2006 Harley-Davidson motorcycle southbound on Highway 83, just north of Highway 18 and the village of Wales, Pederson said. The accident occurred just before 3 p.m. when a northbound Ford F-150 pickup truck was attempting to make a left turn and the vehicles collided, he said.

Mark and Kristine Wellnitz were thrown from the motorcycle. Neither was wearing a helmet, Pederson said.

The driver of the truck was a 65-year-old man from Waukesha County. Pederson would not release his name because the case remains under investigation. The driver was not injured.

Nothing indicated weather, road conditions, alcohol or illegal drugs were a factor in the accident, according to the preliminary investigation, Pederson said. Authorities were conducting an accident reconstruction.