Arbor Vitae woke up to heartbreak this week after a violent crash on U.S. Highway 51 claimed the life of 34-year-old Edward Cervenansky of Three Lakes. The collision happened Tuesday and left a quiet Northwoods community stunned and grieving.
State troopers say Cervenansky was driving south on Highway 51 in a 1993 Chevrolet GMT-400 when things suddenly went wrong. For reasons still under investigation, the truck drifted out of its lane, crossed the centerline, and slammed head-on into a northbound dump truck near the town of Arbor Vitae.
The impact was devastating. Cervenansky was not wearing a seatbelt and was pronounced dead at the scene. First responders arrived quickly, but there was nothing they could do to save him.
The other vehicle involved was a 2001 Kenworth dump truck driven by 23-year-old Wyatt Fendryk of Green Bay. Authorities confirmed that Fendryk was not injured in the crash, a small mercy in an otherwise tragic scene.
The Wisconsin State Patrol is continuing its investigation. Troopers are reconstructing the crash and conducting a full post-crash inspection of the commercial truck. No charges have been announced, and officials say the investigation is still active.
Back in Three Lakes and Arbor Vitae, the focus has shifted from the roadway to remembrance. Friends and neighbors describe Edward Cervenansky as someone who mattered, someone whose absence will be felt in everyday moments that now feel painfully quiet.
Messages of sympathy have poured in for his family, many of them simple and raw. This was a sudden loss. A life ended in seconds on a familiar stretch of road. In small towns like these, that kind of loss echoes.
As the investigation continues, the community holds close to one another, honoring Edward Cervenansky not for how he died, but for who he was and the space he leaves behind.
Photos commonly used with this story include images of U.S. Highway 51 in Arbor Vitae, Wisconsin State Patrol vehicles at the crash scene, and a portrait of Edward Cervenansky shared by family or community members.
