Pair of unusual weekend accidents each claim an Allamakee County man

The Allamakee County Sheriff’s Office is reporting a pair of accidents of unusual nature that took place Sunday, May 6, each claiming the life of a man from Allamakee County. Those accidents included an early morning fall from a local bridge in the Hanover area and an early afternoon tree cutting accident in the Forest Mills area.

FALL FROM BRIDGE
The first of those incidents was reported at 1:33 a.m. Sunday and involved an individual falling from a bridge on Orchid Drive near its intersection with State Highway 76 located approximately two miles north of St. Mary’s Hanover Church in the rural Dorchester area. An adult male, 38-year-old Ryan Robert Schulte of Waukon, had fallen from the bridge and died as a result of the injuries he sustained in the incident. A full obituary for Ryan Schulte appears on Page 3A of this week’s issue of The Standard.

No foul play is suspected. The incident remains under investigation by the Allamakee County Sheriff’s Office. Assisting at the scene was the Veterans Memorial Hospital Ambulance Service and Waukon Area Fire Protection District.

TREE CUTTING
The tree cutting accident was reported at 1:18 p.m. Sunday, when the Allamakee County Sheriff’s Office received a call regarding a person pinned beneath a tree. An adult male, 65-year-old Stephen Michael Smith of rural Postville, had been cutting a tree down at a residence within the 700 block of Forest Mills Road in the rural Postville area, about seven miles south of Waukon, when the tree fell on him, pinning him beneath the tree. He was pronounced deceased at the scene as a result of injuries sustained in the incident. A full obituary for Stephen Smith appears on Page 3A of this week’s issue of The Standard.

The incident remains under investigation by the Allamakee County Sheriff’s Office. Assisting at the scene was the Iowa State Patrol, Veterans Memorial Hospital Ambulance Service and Waukon Area Fire Protection District.