A 48-year-old man died Wednesday afternoon after crashing a speeding car into a Thiensville business.

Thiensville Police said the crash happened just after 2 p.m. when a gray Honda Civic slammed into the corner of Egelhoff's Lawn Mower Service. The driver, identified Friday as 48-year-old John Abbott from Grafton, was the only person involved in the crash.

Dave Koch, who works at the Suburban Motors Harley-Davidson dealership down the street from the crash site, said he was taking a mid-afternoon break to watch cars go by when he saw the vehicle.

"It whizzed by me... at probably what I would estimate to be 100 miles an hour," Koch said. "I said that car's not going to make it through the next intersection. And sure enough, a few seconds later, I heard the crash."

The crash left Egelhoff's Lawn Mower Service with boarded-up windows and visible damage to the corner of the building. The business told TMJ4 that while the incident is tragic, they are thankful nobody else was hurt.

Watch: Witness recalls speeding car moments before fatal Thiensville crash

Brooke Thomson, owner of the nearby Dr. Dawg restaurant, watched the aftermath of the crash from her windows.

"There wasn't much of a car left," Thomson said. "It's a one-off. This is not normal... Who knows what was going on? If you're not being chased, you're not going down that road at a high rate of speed."

Police have not said why the driver was traveling at such a high rate of speed or under what circumstances the crash occurred.

The intersection where the crash happened is set to get busier in the future, as village plans to redevelop an adjacent lot into apartments are moving closer to fruition.

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A 48-year-old male died after driving into a commercial building in Thiensville on Wednesday afternoon, the Thiensville Police Department announced on Thursday morning.

The driver was traveling in a 2010 gray Honda Civic northbound on North Main Street at a high speed when he left the roadway and collided with the commercial building on the northeast corner of an intersection.

The driver was pronounced dead at the scene. There were no other occupants in the vehicle.

On Friday, the driver was identified by the Thiensville Police Department as John Abbott of Grafton.

Anyone with any information regarding the incident is encouraged to reach out to the Thiensville Police Department at (262) 242-2100.

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the Ozaukee Central Fire Department will very soon carry blood on ambulances for lifesaving on-scene transfusions.

The OCFD is now one of the first agencies in the state to carry blood for on-scene transfusions.

"It's always been needed. It's just there's now more research," Interim Chief Matthew Karpinski said. "This is one of the only things that EMS can do that is truly lifesaving."

Starting this month, the department's ambulances will be equipped with specialized coolers that keep blood at the proper temperature for up to three days.

Watch: 'It could save somebody's life': Grafton neighbors praise fire department's portable blood transfusion tech

The initiative is crucial, as National Highway Traffic Safety Administration research shows every minute without blood for a trauma patient increases the risk of death by 11%.

The initiative started to form after an EMS call from last year, when the department had to call Flight for Life to obtain blood in order to successfully save a patient.

"You do have a level of frustration when you know what somebody needs, and you don't have it available. And now that we do, it's reassuring," Karpinski said. "As we administered blood, you instantly see the improvement of the patient. It's remarkable."

The new coolers monitor the temperature of specialized, long-lasting ice packs and send alerts to department leaders when the lid of the cooler is opened or if the temperature is starting to rise.

The program was funded by a roughly $15,000 grant from Aurora Healthcare, which also serves as the department's blood bank. It paid for two coolers at $5,000 each one for each of the department's stations in Grafton and Saukville. The grant also includes an additional $5,000 for additional fees and startup costs.

"We are exchanging this blood weekly with our blood bank to keep it in rotation, so we have zero waste," Karpinski said.

Grafton resident Rick Fullmer says he understands the importance of well-equipped firefighters on anyone's worst day.

"It could save somebody's life," Fullmer said. "If it's a tool that they need, I see no problem," Fullmer said.

To help launch the program, the Ozaukee Central Fire Department is hosting a blood drive on April 14 from 1 p.m. to 7 p.m. at the Grafton Fire Station. People can sign up here.

The department is pushing through with the program despite facing budgeting issues. Currently, the OCFD is operating with last year's budget, since not all four communities have approved the department's draft 2026 budget.

Three of the communities have volunteered to pay the higher amounts requested in the 2026 budget, while the Town of Grafton has only so far agreed to a smaller increase. Discussions on a resolution are ongoing, according to Chief Karpinski.

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A community blood drive will be held from 1 to 7 p.m. Tuesday, April 14, at the Ozaukee Central Fire Department in Grafton.

The blood drive will help support the new Prehospital Blood Transfusion Program launching that day. This program will allow paramedics to administer blood to critically injured and ill patients before they reach the hospitalgiving them a better chance of survival when every minute counts.

Appointments for the blood drive can be made online.

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A Mequon family returned to their home after living out of state for a couple of years to find it ransacked to the tune of $30,000 in damages.

Beth and Mark Stay, who have five children, have been couch surfing while they wait for a decision from their insurance company.

"They had to pull out all the cabinetry because of burst pipes," Mark Stay said. "We don't have an oven, sink or dishwasher to use right now."

The family contracted Real Property Management when they initially moved to Arizona, purchasing landlord insurance as well. While away, they started hearing from neighbors about issues with the new tenant, including trash buildup and later squatters who refused to leave even after being evicted.

Watch: Mequon family returns after years living out of state to home trashed by squatters

"It was three dumpsters full of garbage that had to be removed," Beth Stay said. "Just the lack of care for your space. That's just been heartbreaking."

"We hired this company in good faith, that they would take care of our home as if it were their own. We feel betrayed. We feel like there was a breach of trust," Mark Stay said.

The family hopes sharing their story will serve as a cautionary tale for others.

"The hope would be that it doesn't happen to other families. You don't realize how vulnerable you are as a family. We thought we did all the right things," Beth Stay said.

A spokesperson for Real Property Management said the company is committed to addressing the family's concerns directly, but handled the situation appropriately and by the law.

"In this case, the damage involved events that are typically addressed through appropriate insurance coverage(s), as they are not preventable through standard property management practices and extended well beyond a tenant placement or oversight scenario," the spokesperson said in part.

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