Names released from Jan. 2 Vilas County snowmobile crash

EAGLE RIVER, Wis. (WSAW) - The Vilas County Sheriff’s Department said two people have died as a result of a snowmobile crash.

Two snowmobiles crashed resulting in the deaths of 75-year-old Robert Groter from Wyoming, IL, and 43-year-old Andrew Spiess from Elmhurst, IL. The crash happened around noon on Thursday on Trail 70 in the town of Cloverland, located between St. Germain and Eagle River.

The crash remains under investigation. The circumstances of the crash have not yet been released.

Assisting with the investigation were the Vilas County Sheriff’s Office, Saint Germain Fire Department and Ambulance, Boulder Junction Ambulance, Plum Lake Fire Department, Vilas County Medical Examiner, and WI Department of Natural Resources.

This crash marks the eighth and ninth fatalities in Wisconsin this snowmobile season. Three other fatal crashes have also occurred in Vilas County in less than one month. Click here to view the DNR’s 2023 snowmobile crash statistics.