FAYETTE – A 27-year-old Illinois man was killed and a 25-year-old Darlington man injured when the UTV they were traveling in crashed on Saturday, June 10.
Joseph J. Smolenski of Geneseo, Ill., was driving a 2015 Polaris Ranger on County G eastbound when he failed to negotiate a curve near the intersection of County D and G in the Town of Fayette. The UTV left the roadway and entered the ditch, overturning and ejecting both Smolenski and his passenger, Colton Carpenter of Darlington. Neither was wearing seatbelts.
 Smolenski was flown by Medflight to UW Hospital where he was later pronounced dead. Carpenter was transported to Memorial Hospital of Lafayette County by Rural Medical and later transferred to UW Hospital. He has since been released and is at home recovering.
Alcohol and speed appear to be the contributing factors leading to the crash. The Lafayette County Sheriff’s Office is continuing the investigation of the crash in cooperation with the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources and the Lafayette County Coroner’s Office.
Argyle EMS, Fire and Police Departments, as well as Green County EMS, Rural Medical Ambulance Service and the Wisconsin DNR assisted Lafayette County Sheriff’s Office at the scene.