TOWN OF TRENTON | Dawn Pater described her brother, Ethan Plath, as a good kid who went down the wrong path after the death of their brother eight years ago.
Plath died at UW Hospital Monday after he crashed around 2:25 p.m. on Highway 33 in the town of Trenton following an 18-mile police chase.
“We love him,” Pater said. “He will be missed sorely and no words can cover the loss we feel in our hearts and the hole that will be in our lives. The potential of what he could have been and the man he was supposed to be was taken away from him by a drug he chose to use out of sorrow from losing his brother.”
Plath’s brother, Dan Bennett Jr., died on May 7, 2006, in a one-vehicle rollover accident in Fond du Lac County. Pater said Plath was 18 at the time of the crash and he took the death hard.
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Pater said Plath started taking pills which led to an addiction to heroin.
“He wanted help to get off of it, but he could not break away from it,’” Pater said. “There seems to be no help for the people who get lost in this drug. (There are) A lot of people who want to point fingers and blame and no one to turn to. I know he felt lost and had no idea how to ever just keep on his feet. There is no system to help deal with the people with heroin addictions and nothing real that is working.
“We are losing people and we will continue to until something is done about this,” Pater said. “Maybe instead of people judging in a media-driven world where we can all stand on our soap boxes ... people can come together to find a real solution to a very real problem to help avoid senseless deaths like this one ... and help people find their lives again because they do not know how anymore.”
Pater said Plath had been living with friends and she had last seen him on Sunday.
“He always had a smile,” Pater said.
The family is grateful for the support it has received from the community.
“There have been so many kind words,” Pater said. “We thank everyone.”
The crash happened at 2:25 p.m. Monday on Highway 33 between Spruce and Breezy Point roads.
Fox Lake Police Chief Jim Rohr said Monday he had initiated the chase in Fox Lake. According to Wisconsin State Patrol Sgt. Greg Jenswold, the chase covered 18 miles and reached speeds of more than 100 mph. Fox Lake and Beaver Dam Police were involved in the chase and Jenswold said that tire deflation devices were deployed by the Dodge County Sheriff’s Department.
Jenswold said the car involved in the crash left the road while traveling north on Highway 33 and struck two trees. The crash remains under investigation and Jenswold said a crash report was not available as of 3 p.m. Tuesday.
Aaron Holbrook contributed to the story.
