62-year-old Genoa man dies after motorcycle collides with another vehicle on Hwy. 35, south of Stoddard

A 62-year-old Genoa, Wis., man died Saturday, after his motorcycle collided with another vehicle on Highway 35, just south of Stoddard.

James Pedretti was ejected from his motorcycle after colliding with a vehicle. The Genoa man was pronounced dead at the scene. The accident occurred around 9:30 a.m.

A 20-year-old Black River Falls, Wis., man was headed south on Highway 35 and making a left turn. He did not see Pedretti travelling north and turned directly in front of the motorcyclist.

Bystanders attempted life-saving measures, but the coroner from Vernon County, pronounced Pedretti dead at the scene. He was not wearing a helmet.

Passenger airbags in the vehicle deployed. The Black River Falls driver was wearing a seatbelt.

This is Vernon County’s first traffic fatality this year. There were five traffic fatalities in 2021 and just one each the two years prior. The county has averaged three traffic deaths a year over the past five years.