Two men killed in Iowa County tragedies identified

UPDATE: The two people who were killed Thursday in separate tragedies were identified today by the Iowa County Sheriff's Office.

Jerome Miller, 63, of Marengo died in an incident around 1:46 p.m. in a snowy farm field east of the intersection of 225th Street and NN Avenue in rural Williamsburg. Reports indicate that a group of hunters was trying to free a pickup stuck in the snow, using a tow strap attached to a second pickup, when the tow strap failed. A portion of the strap struck and killed Miller, officials said.

Earlier in the day, Frank Meager, 33, of Cottage Grove, Minn., was killed around 12:45 p.m. near the 2600 block of O Avenue in rural Williamsburg. According to reports, Meager, a subcontractor working to clear the right of way for a pipeline company, died when he was crushed by a tree he was cutting.