According to a report in the Fond du Lac (Wis.) Reporter, HT Enterprises founder and owner Paul Grahl and his wife Joanna died last Thursday when their vehicle was struck head on by a driver who police say had been drinking prior to the accident.
Grahl was 73. Joanna Grahl was 59. The couple’s 13-year-old daughter, Esther Grahl, suffered serious injuries in the crash and was taken to Children's Hospital of Wisconsin in Milwaukee, the report said.
According to the report, the accident occurred in the town of Auburn, Wis. The driver of the other vehicle, a 24-year-old male, crossed the center line and collided with the Grahl vehicle, according to the report. The other driver was treated for his injuries and is being held on charges of homicide by intoxicated use of a vehicle and causing injury by intoxicated use.
HT Enterprises, based in Campbellsport, Wis., is a leader in the ice fishing tackle business and had branched out on the bass side with a line of Jimmy Houston signature series rods and reels.
To read more about the crash, click here.
Outdoors writer Gord Pyzer penned a tribute piece to Grahl for the World Fishing Network's website. To read it, click here.
