Former Judge Killed in Motorcycle Crash

A former Dane County Circuit Court judge was killed last Saturday when the motorcycle he was driving was struck by a van in Columbia County.

Judge Steven D. Ebert, who retired after 12 years on the bench in 2009, was hit by the van north of Lodi in southwestern Columbia County, according to an article by the Wisconsin State Journal.

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“Ebert, 69, of Middleton, died at the scene despite life-saving measures by law enforcement and rescue personnel, the Columbia County Sheriff’s Office said,” the article reads. “A Madison native who graduated from East High School, Ebert earned his bachelor’s degree at UW-Madison and law degree from Drake University in Des Moines, Iowa. Ebert had also worked as a reserve judge on a fill-in basis following his retirement through the end of 2015, according to District Court Administrator Theresa Owens.”

The crash occurred on Highway 113 near Highway V in the town of West Point, near Okee about 10 a.m. Wisconsin State Journal reports the van pulled out in front of the motorcycle causing the two vehicles to collide. according to the sheriff’s office.

“Ebert was wearing a helmet at the time of the fatal crash. The van driver and a passenger in the van were not injured as a result of the crash.

“Ebert, a Navy veteran, loved to ride his motorcycle and put hundreds of miles on it on long rides, Foust said. He also was proud of his roots in Madison’s East Side, where he grew up in the 1950s and ’60s, Foust noted,” the article reads. “Along with riding his motorcycle, Ebert liked to hunt deer and was a member of a target-shooting club using ‘old-fashioned, black powder guns.’”

The crash remains under investigation by the Columbia County Sheriff’s Office and the Wisconsin State Patrol. It was the 18th vehicular fatality in Columbia County in 2016, the sheriff’s office said.