Wisconsin Dump Truck Driver Sentenced to Prison for La Crescent Man’s Death

LA CROSSE, Wis. (AP) — A dump truck driver has been sentenced to 16 years in prison for a fatal crash on Interstate 90 near La Crosse last year.

Thirty-seven-year-old Francis Rychtik Sr. of Arpin admitted to having alcohol in his system and checking Facebook moments before the crash.

The La Crosse Tribune reports Rychtik also will have to spend 17 years on extended supervision.

The sentencing judge heard statements Tuesday from the family and friends of 29-year-old Jason Songer of La Crescent, Minnesota, who was killed in the crash last July.

Authorities say Rychtik was going 55 mph when he rear-ended Songer's car. That set off a chain-reaction crash involving three other vehicles and a semi-truck.