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Driver killed when road collapses into Mississippi
CROP washout-cp
THE COLLAPSED EAST BOUND LANE of Highway 82 is discussed by County Highway Commissioner Dennis Pelock, left, and Highway Department Superintendent Todd Myers, right, and two state employees the morning of Tuesday, May 30 after it caused a fatal accident in the early morning hours.
CHARLEY PREUSSER
Updated: Jun 1, 2017, 5:47 PM
Published: Jun 1, 2017, 5:53 PM

A 59-year-old Lansing man was killed in a one-vehicle accident on Highway 82 in the early morning hours of Tuesday, May 30, according to the Crawford County Sheriff’s Department.

The 911 Center received an emergency call at approximately 4:22 a.m. reporting a traffic accident that occurred on Highway 82 approximately one-half mile west of Highway 35 in the Township of Freeman.

James Walleser was operating a 2000 Jeep eastbound on 82 crossing the Mississippi River on the Lansing dike on his way to work, according to the sheriff’s department. Walleser crossed a final bridge span and as his vehicle exited the bridge span, it entered an area of the roadway that had washed out causing his vehicle to fall into the river.

The surface on the causeway portion of the highway appeared to have been undercut due to the high water. Ultimately, the water caused the highway surface to erode and fall into the river.  

There was an eyewitness who was driving a vehicle a quarter mile behind Walleser’s jeep, who contacted the sheriff’s department.

The eyewitness told the sheriff’s department that he observed the taillights of the Jeep move erratically as it crashed into the hole ahead of him. He exited his vehicle and approached the scene in the darkness without a flashlight. At that point the jeep was crashed into the far side of the 75-foot long hole and still out of the water.

After the witness went back to his vehicle, retrieved a flashlight and returned, the Jeep had fallen into the river and was completely submerged.

Emergency responders arrived on scene, immediately closed the highway, and started working on extracting Walleser’s vehicle from the river. Milo’s Towing Service with the assistance of the LaCrosse County Dive Team was able to extract the Jeep from the river.

Walleser was located in the vehicle and pronounced dead at the scene, according to the sheriff’s department. The vehicle had extensive frontend damage.

An autopsy to determine the cause of death was scheduled for Tuesday in Madison.

The Crawford County Highway Department began the process of repairing the roadway shortly after the vehicle was removed from the scene.  Highway 82 will remain closed between Highway 35 and Lansing until further notice.   

At the scene on Tuesday morning, Crawford County Highway Commissioner Dennis Pelock estimated the roadway could be repaired and reopened to traffic as early as Thursday evening depending on how things went.

Pelock estimated 3,000 cubic yards of material had eroded in a 75-foot long span of the eastbound lane. The county highway department will truck quarried material to the site and it will be “benched in” to the existing material still under the westbound lane.

In 2015, the highway department repaired a washout on a westbound lane adjacent to the next bridge to the west of Tuesday’s washout.

The county highway commissioner explained that under high water conditions this week, the bridge constricted the southbound water as it passed through a narrow space increasing its velocity. So, on the south side of the bridge in a backwater area an eddy developed, which eroded the sand under the roadway surface of the eastbound lane.

Crawford County Sheriff Dale McCullick said parts of the roadway and sand were still falling into the river when sheriff’s department personnel and first responders arrived on the scene.

The Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources used sonar to determine the position of the vehicle under the water and to check for bodies in the water, according to the sheriff’s department.

The following agencies assisted the Crawford County Sheriff’s Department at the scene of the accident the DeSoto Fire Department & First Responders, Ferryville Fire Department & First Responders, Lansing Fire & First Responders, Lansing Police Department, Allamakee County Sheriff’s Department, Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources, US Fish & Wildlife Service, LaCrosse County Dive Team, Milo’s Towing Service, Crawford County Highway Department, Iowa State Patrol, and Wisconsin Department of Transportation. The Grant County Dive Team was held on standby in case they were needed.
Snyders encourage outside play through new series of childrens books
Snyder books
Jason Kreul
Fennimore Times
Published: May 20, 2025, 6:30 PM

         As with many parents, Kayla and Justin Snyder of Fennimore often struggle with balancing their three children’s (Aliana, Michael, and Matthew) screen time with real world/outdoor play. 

“Their bodies need to move and we (parents in general) struggle with getting the kids out of the house and away from their screens,” Kayla explained. 

“As parents, we see the pull of screens every day. We encourage our kids to get outside, move, and connect with the world around them because we know how important it is,” Justin said “We wanted to create

Something that would not just inspire our own kids, but families everywhere.”

So Kayla and Justin began creating a children's book series, Don’t Leave Your Body Behind, to cover that very topic, with Justin as the author and Kayla as the illustrator. 

The series was designed to remind young readers that their bodies matter, their words have power, and their feelings are valid. Research shows that today’s children spend twice as much time looking at screens as they do playing outside—a trend that affects their physical health, mental wellness, and emotional growth.

The books’ creation began a little over a year ago, but the publishing of them began when Kayla and Justin became involved with the online community, The Purpose Pusher Academy, a “culturally responsive professional learning platform offering virtual courses designed to equip and empower educators and other adults working with children in the K-12 setting,” according to the academy’s website. 

Now having tools and resources more available to them, Kayla and Justin first two books of the series, “The Day Jay Found His Body Again” and “Kay’s Garden of Words: The Power of Positive Affirmations” were released last month.

According to the Snyders, “The Day Jay Found His Body Again” tells the story of a boy who rediscovers the joy of outdoor play after losing himself in screens and boredom. 

While, “Kay’s Garden of Words: The Power of Positive Affirmations”  follows a young girl who learns that speaking kind, powerful words can change her world from the inside out.

Each story is paired with a matching coloring and activity book to help families engage even more deeply with the lessons through creativity and play.

“We live this every day with our own three kids. In a world pulling kids toward screens and negativity, we believe in pulling them back to their bodies, their hearts, and their dreams. We want children to know and

understand that your body matters, your words have power, and your feelings are valid. You are growing into

something beautiful—one thought, one feeling, and one brave step at a time,” Kayla stated. 

The “ever growing series” as Kayla described it, has a third book in the works covering emotions and coping/self soothing skills. 

The “book business” isn’t just limited to Kayla and Justin, as their eight year old Matthew, has a coloring book published entitled, “The Mattastic World of Monster Affirmations,” which Amazon describes as “Join Matthew’s cheerful, quirky monster friends in a magical world filled with fun and uplifting affirmations. This coloring book is packed with adorable cartoon monsters teaching kids the power of positivity, self-confidence, and kindness.”

11 year old Michael also is currently building t-shirt designs through the family’s website.

“We always wanted something we could do together as a family,” Kayla explained. “This is our ‘big family thing’ that helps us and our children fulfill their dreams.” 

The Don’t Leave Your Body Behind series, as well as Matthew’s coloring book is available on Amazon and featured on the family’s website, www.kayluvsjay.com.

The Snyder’s “big family thing” was been doing well on Amazon as recently, “The Day Jay Found His Body Again” was a number one best seller on Amazon in two categories: children’s books and fitness. 

“Jay’s Backyard Adventures Coloring and Activity Book”  sat at number 16, and “Kay’s Garden of Words” coloring book was ranked number two in cut and assemble”, and the storybook version was at number 35 in children’s inspirational.