OCONOMOWOC — The family of an 87-year-old man killed in a hit-and-run crash is urging the community to help identify the driver involved.
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Allan Eighmy, known to his family as Al, was born in Watertown and raised his family in a home on Allen Road in Oconomowoc — the same road where he was struck Monday afternoon.
On Wednesday, the family told TMJ4’s Kaylee Staral that Al died due to his injuries, after their last update that he was in the hospital in critical condition.
His family said he was driving his Kubota tractor home after mowing the lawn at Dr. Martin Luther Church— where family says he’s the longest-tenured parishioner — when a vehicle hit him.
His family said he often volunteered to mow as a way to stay active.
Watch: Family seeks justice after tractor hit-and-run
“He’s the kind of grandpa who would bring kites for Easter, fix anything around the house, and ride a snowmobile through snowstorms to get to work,” said his granddaughter, Kaitlin Devault. “He’s full of life — always on the move, even at 87.”
Oconomowoc Police said it happened at 12:56 p.m. and the driver of a possible black 2003–2014 Volvo ZC90 SUV hit Eighmy and continued onto Concord Road without stopping.
Watch: Special church service held for victim of hit-and-run
“For someone to hit him and not stop — and for the mail lady to be the one who found him — it’s incredibly disturbing,” said his grandson, Tyler Eighmy.
“He was on a large tractor, blaze orange, with flashing lights, in the middle of the day, on a 30-mile-an-hour road.”
Doctors placed Eighmy on a ventilator and performed multiple surgeries to stop bleeding in his brain.
“He lived a clean life. He deserved a natural death,” Devault said. “But he’s not done. He still has so much life left in him.”
Eighmy, a lifelong Green Bay Packers fan and season ticket holder since 1960, was planning more family trips for later this year. They say he enjoys hunting and fishing at the family’s cabin in Rhinelander.
On top of his love of family, Eighmy spent decades working at the Carnation/Silgan plant and is a charter member of the Ixonia Lions Club where he served for over fifty years.
His family describes him as generous, selfless, and deeply rooted in the Lake Country community.
“He’ll help anyone with anything,” Devault said. “That’s just the kind of person he is.”
The family has launched a GoFundMe to help with medical expenses.
Police are still looking for a suspect and are asking residents to check surveillance footage from around 12:56 p.m. Monday.
Anyone with information should contact Waukesha County Communications at 262-446-5070.
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