Man killed in car that crashed into tree is identified

A 55-year-old man was speeding before he crashed head-on into a tree on Sherman Boulevard, according to a Milwaukee County Medical Examiner’s Office report issued Friday.

Troy Lanier of Milwaukee was not wearing a seat belt and was partially ejected from his 2007 Lexis ES 350, just north of West Florist Avenue.

Lanier’s brother told investigators that Lanier was on his way to work but was not running late and didn’t have any other reason to speed and hadn’t expressed any suicidal thoughts.

Lanier’s wife said he didn’t drink or abuse drugs and has always been a careful driver.

His family said he was a deacon at Bethel Tabernacle Worship Center, according to the medical examiner’s report.

Lanier was northbound on Sherman Boulevard shortly before 3 p.m. Wednesday. Another driver told police he had just gone through the Florist Avenue intersection under the yellow light when Lanier’s car flew past at an estimated 90 mph. Lanier struck a tree in the median.

Investigators noted that there’s a rise in Sherman Boulevard just south of Florist, so that if Lanier was going fast enough, he may have lost control after hitting the rise. Investigators found that Lanier’s actual speed was closer to 75 mph at the time of the crash and that he had applied his brakes before impact.