LACROSSE, Wis. – Blinking gates on the Burlington Northern mainline were functioning properly Friday afternoon when a train struck and killed a bicyclist at a South End crossing, according to sheriff’s investigators. Meanwhile, the sheriff’s office released the victim’s name: Donald Socha, 70, of LaCrosse. He died outright. Socha was bicycling about 12 blocks from home. He taught French and Spanish at the University of Wisconsin-Lacrosse. He retired in 2011.
Socha. UW-LaCrosse professor 1985-2011.