1 killed, 2 hurt in one-car crash in Wisconsin

Alexander Hartung wanted more than anything to finish restoring his most prized possession - a red 1974 Jeep CJ5.

That dream now passes to friends and family after the 2005 Stevenson High School graduate and senior at Northern Illinois University was killed Sunday evening when the car he was riding in smashed into a tree in Bass Lake, Wis.

"He was my best friend. He was such a mechanically inclined person. I am going to finish the Jeep. It's something I just have to do," said fellow Stevenson graduate Keith Ovadenko, now a senior at Lewis University.

Two other people involved in the accident were airlifted to Minnesota hospitals: Paul M. Mescher of Arlington Heights, another passenger, and Mark A. Rhine of Buffalo Grove, the driver.

The men, who became friends through NIU, had spent the weekend at Hartung's family cabin near Hayward, Wis. "They were golfing in a tournament," said Ovadenko, of Buffalo Grove.

Police say they believe speed and alcohol were factors in the accident that occurred as the friends were heading home about 7:30 p.m.

Rhine, 22, was driving a 1995 Dodge Intrepid fast when he lost control at the junction of County Road K and Trails End Resort Road, according to the Sawyer County sheriff's department. The car crossed the road and crashed backward into a tree.

A deputy on routine patrol spotted the severely smashed car.

Mescher, 23, was taken to Hayward Area Memorial Hospital and later flown to Regions Hospital in St. Paul, where he was in critical condition in the surgical intensive care unit. Rhine was airlifted to St. Luke's Hospital in Duluth.

Hartung was flown to St. Mary's Hospital in Duluth, where he died.

Hartung's father, Adam, said his son was adventurous, well-liked, and someone with a love for building things.

"He was a big-hearted guy. He made people around him very happy, even when they were down," said Adam Hartung, who with his wife, Mary, have raised two other sons, Spencer, 19, and Grant, 20, in Long Grove.

Alex Hartung had been told he was not "college material," but he wouldn't believe that and worked hard, his father said.

He said Alex played in the jazz band at Stevenson and was majoring in mechanical engineering at NIU, where he served as president of the Baja Racing Team.

Adam Hartung said his son, a DeKalb resident, wasn't ready to settle down and get married. Instead, he hoped to get his master's degree in civil engineering.

"He wasn't the type to sit in an office. He wanted to be out testing the dirt and the equipment," he said.

Everyone who knew him knew of his desire to build things and work on cars.

Hartung also enjoyed golf and played at the intramural level at Stevenson.

Mescher, who also attends NIU, and Rhine both graduated from Buffalo Grove High School - Rhine in 2005 and Mescher in 2004.

Rhine was involved in improv and acting in high school, said Buffalo Grove High School Principal Carol Burlinski. His sister, Jaclyn, is a senior there this year.

Officials at Stevenson and Buffalo Grove said they were shocked to hear about the accident Wednesday. "We hadn't heard about it, which is unusual," Burlinski said.

Longtime friend Charlie Keith, who moved to Las Vegas with his family two months ago, was also stunned to learn of the crash through Facebook. He also attended Stevenson and spent more than 10 years hanging out with Hartung in the same Long Grove neighborhood.

"I was shocked. We played in the band at Stevenson together. We both played trumpet," Keith said.

Funeral services are set for Saturday, Sept. 26, at Anderson Funeral Home, 2011 S. Fourth St., DeKalb. Visitation is 11 a.m. until the services at 2 p.m.

"We will then bury Alex in a small cemetery in the middle of the corn fields out there," Adam Hartung said.