Construction worker killed in crane accident identified (UPDATE)

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A 58-year-old construction worker was killed Friday morning after a crane accident on U.S. 41 in the De Pere area.

Raymond Ashenbrenner, a worker with Lunda Construction Co. and a Black River Falls resident, died in the accident, according to Hobart/Lawrence Police Chief Randall Bani. Ashenbrenner was pinned underneath a crane arm as workers were unloading the equipment from a trailer.

The accident occurred around 8:30 a.m. Friday. The highway, which reopened to traffic around 10 a.m. Friday, had been closed at Scheuring Road.

Tim Brown, with the Occupational Health and Safety Administration’s Appleton office, confirmed an OSHA employee was headed to De Pere to investigate the accident. He declined further comment until OSHA has more information.

The worker was pronounced dead at the scene by the Brown County Coroner’s Office.

De Pere and Lawrence emergency workers remained on the scene Friday morning, according to reports.

The shoulders in both directions of the highway in the Scheuring Road area have been closed since early March for reconstruction as part of the U.S. 41 expansion project. Lunda is a subcontractor for Brownsville-based Michels Corp. on the $56 million project.

— Kirsten Klahn