On January 14, 2019, Henry Zietlow, having recently celebrated his eighteenth birthday, was driving with his mother on Wisconsin Hwy 63 when the driver of an unregistered Dodge Ram, towing a car on a flatbed trailer that exceeded legal weight limits, crossed the center line and hit Henry’s car head on.  Henry’s mother sat beside him in the passenger seat overwhelmed by her own shock and injury as Henry’s life slipped away. 
 
Henry’s death was not inevitable.  He was killed by a negligent driver.  Yet Washburn County District Attorney, Aaron Marcoux, refuses to enforce Wisconsin State laws and hold the at-fault driver accountable. The intent of this petition is to communicate to the State that enforcing the laws on the books that were enacted to ensure safety is imperative—not only for justice—to address the ongoing public health crisis of traffic violence and road fatalities. This petition is as much about upholding Wisconsin Law as it is about preventing senseless and needless loss of life on Wisconsin’s roads and the on-going pain and grief endured by surviving family and friends of road-traffic victims.
 
The at-fault driver was fully aware that his truck did not have an operable system to engage his trailer’s brakes when he got behind the wheel early on the morning of the crash. The combined weight of his trailer and its load was not just slightly over the legal weight limit that permits hauling a trailer without a braking system, it egregiously exceeded what is permitted under Wisconsin law. On top of that, WI State Patrol reported that the driver’s vehicle’s registration was expired and he had an open bottle of vodka under his seat, which is illegal in Wisconsin. The at-fault driver received no consequence what-so-ever for these digressions. The entire penalty to date: two minor traffic tickets.
 
The at-fault driver has shown no remorse. His wife was quoted in the Minneapolis Star Tribune and posted on Facebook about the crash in which her husband’s negligent driving killed Henry:  ‘I am so very thankful. There are just no words to describe it.’

As Henry’s parents, we have spent the past year seeking clarity from the State and carrying the weight of seeking justice for Henry. When we drove to Shell Lake to meet with DA Marcoux, he confirmed that the at-fault driver was reckless and irresponsible and outlined in detail how the at-fault driver was criminally negligent under Wisconsin state law. Yet DA Marcoux won’t bring charges. DA Marcoux believes that two minor traffic tickets is a sufficiently fair and just consequence for the criminal negligence that took Henry’s promising life.

Wisconsin has clear laws in place to hold drivers whose negligence results in death or grave bodily injury accountable.  Not enforcing these laws condones unsafe driving, makes future road fatalities more likely, and undermines the intent of the State Legislature who enacted legislation specifically to hold negligent parties accountable and deter unsafe and deadly behaviors. DA Marcoux has shown no interest or commitment to upholding Wisconsin State law, improving road safety, protecting motorists, or finding justice for Henry.

Henry was a beloved son, brother, friend, and teammate. He was academically, musically, and athletically gifted. Henry loved his friends and family deeply. He was humble, wise, thoughtful, kind, and funny.  He had everything to live for and so much to give. While so many continue to grieve this senseless loss, Henry’s killer is back behind the wheel where he can do the same thing to someone else. 

It is the very definition of recklessness to get behind the wheel of a truck hauling an egregiously overloaded trailer knowing that it is impossible to engage the trailer’s brakes. Doing so in wintry driving conditions makes the negligence only more stark. Simply put, the at-fault driver was cited for driving too fast for the conditions, crossing the center line and hitting the car Henry was driving, and killing Henry. When the negligent operation of a vehicle results in a crash that kills another person, it requires a charge of Homicide by Negligent Operation of a Vehicle (Wisconsin Statute 940.10) which the State Legislature enacted to deter dangerous, reckless, driving.

District Attorney Marcoux, an innocent life was taken by a negligent driver. That two traffic tickets is the only consequence devalues Henry’s promising life as much as it condones acknowledged negligent driving and its horrific consequences. Mr. Marcoux, take a stand against vehicular violence and protect the people who drive on Wisconsin roads. 

SIGN THIS PETITION. Tell DA Aaron Marcoux that criminal charges and vigorous prosecution of the at-fault driver who killed Henry is his responsibility and not doing so dismisses negligent driving, encourages unsafe driving, and thereby puts the safety of the public in greater jeopardy.