In the quiet town of Poynette, Wis., the community is wrestling with grief after the sudden deaths of two men who were simply driving home on a Tuesday afternoon. Around 3 p.m. on October 21, 2025, emergency dispatchers in Columbia County Sheriff’s Office began receiving frantic calls of a fiery two-vehicle crash on WIBU Road near Kampen Road in the Town of Arlington. One of the vehicles was reported to be engulfed in flames, with trapped occupants inside.
By the time deputies arrived, a grim scene had unfolded. The investigation later revealed that 47-year-old Gregory Dellmann was driving a Ford SUV northbound, while 40-year-old Jesus Cabrera Gallegos sat behind the wheel of a Toyota Camry headed south on that same road. Both men lived in Poynette.
As the two vehicles crested a small hill, investigators say the Toyota drifted across the center line and collided nearly head-on with the SUV. The force of the impact and the resulting fire made rescue efforts impossible. A sheriff’s deputy did his best — he attempted to pull the driver from the burning vehicle and fought the flames, but the damage and intensity of the fire defeated those efforts. Fire crews with the Arlington Fire Department arrived shortly after and extinguished the blaze. Sadly, each vehicle had just one occupant, and both were pronounced dead at the scene.
In an official statement, Captain David Clark described the crash as “tragic” for all involved and requested the community keep first-responders and the families in their thoughts and prayers.
Responding agencies included the Poynette Police Department, Arlington Fire & EMS, the Deforest Fire Department, the Columbia and Dane County Medical Examiner’s Offices, the Columbia County Highway Department, and Brown’s Towing. Their coordinated efforts helped secure the scene and investigate the fatal collision.
For the families of Gregory Dellmann and Jesus Cabrera Gallegos—two lives cut far too soon—the loss stretches beyond the statistics. It ripples through the Poynette community, where friends and neighbors now grapple with shock, sorrow and memories that will never fade. In the coming days, that community may draw strength from each other as they mourn and try to heal.
May the memories of Gregory and Jesus endure, and may those who loved them find peace amid their profound loss.