Police provide more details in fatal crash
DELAVAN — An Elkhorn man who died in a vehicle accident Friday had gotten a ride home from police hours before the crash that killed him and injured at least one other person, police say.
According to a report from the Delavan Police Department, a Walworth County Sheriff's Office deputy found Brad L. Zimmerman, 43, Elkhorn, along Interstate 43 with a Chevrolet Lumina with a flat tire.
The deputy reported Zimmerman was "staggering" and complaining of medical problems, according to the report. The deputy gave Zimmerman a ride home, the report said.
The report, written Saturday, said the encounter happened "last night," but it did not specify whether "last night" referred to Friday, the day of the crash, or earlier, on Thursday.
Delavan police were unable to provide more details, and the Walworth County Sheriff's Office did not immediately provide an incident report of the deputy's encounter with Zimmerman.
According to reports, Zimmerman on Friday returned with another person, identified as Todd E. Brunner, 42, of Elkhorn, who helped him change his tire near the interchange of I-43 and Highway 14. Zimmerman then attempted to drive back to Elkhorn, with Brunner following behind, the report said.
Brunner said that before he drove away, Zimmerman was soaked in sweat and was having difficulty changing the tire on his own.
Brunner said that as Zimmerman began to head north on I-43, his driving became erratic. Zimmerman nearly missed the exit to Highway 50, almost rear-ended another vehicle, and then sped east on Highway 50, Brunner said.
Zimmerman then swerved off the road, back into the oncoming lane and appeared to speed up before striking another car head-on, according to reports.
The crash happened just after 6 p.m. Friday at Highway 50 a half-mile east of North Shore Drive in Delavan, according to reports.
Zimmerman was pronounced dead at 6:54 p.m. Friday at Mercy Walworth Hospital and Medical Center, Lake Geneva, according to reports. Police believe he was not wearing a seat belt.
At least one person in the other car was transported to a hospital with injuries, police said, although reports did not disclose the extent of that person's injuries.
Shelby L. Graham, 47, of Delavan, an acquaintance of Zimmerman, told police that Zimmerman had recently been complaining of health problems. Graham also gave investigators several bottles of prescription medications carrying Zimmerman's name, according to reports.
The Walworth County Coroner's Office had planned an autopsy, according to reports.
