"Took the pills a long time ago:" Father charged in Christmas crash that cost his young son his arm

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Jeremy Froemming

OTTAWA -- An Oconomowoc father has been criminally charged after a Christmas Day crash that resulted in his 11-year-old son losing his arm. It happened around 1:30 a.m. December 25th on Highway 67, south of Highway D in Ottawa.

38-year-old Jeremy Froemming of Oconomowoc faces one count of intoxicated use of a vehicle -- great bodily harm, and one count of operating a motor vehicle while intoxicated, fourth offense, with a minor child in the vehicle.

When first responders arrived, they found the pickup truck driven by Froemming pinned up against the tree with significant damage. It took 20 minutes to extricate the patients -- Jeremy and his son, Nathaniel. Both were taken to trauma centers -- Nathaniel via Flight for Life. Nathaniel was said to be in critical condition. His mother told FOX6 news on Tuesday Nathaniel, a young athlete, lost his arm as a result of the crash.

Crash in Ottawa county

Nathaniel

The criminal complaint indicates trees had to be cut down at the scene in order to remove Jeremy and Nathaniel from the truck. Prosecutors say Jeremy Froemming suffered fractured ribs.

Prosecutors say at the scene, Jeremy Froemming was noted to be slurring his words, and "had a heavy tongue while talking." He "seemed very out of it," and was "stumbling around on the roadway" before being checked out by paramedics.

According to the complaint, he told investigators he'd taken Adderall around 3:00 p.m. or 4:00 p.m. on Christmas Eve, along with Oxycodone and Gabapentin. He denied drinking or taking any recreational drugs.

He indicated he lost control of his truck coming around the curb, and thought he may have hit some slush. He said he had his cruise control set at 60 miles-per-hour, and he was "in and out of the lane" because of the corners. Two field sobriety tests were performed, and Froemming was placed under arrest for OWI. A sample of his blood was taken and sent to the a crime lab for analysis.

Jeremy Froemming

According to the complaint, Froemming "became angry" and said "this was (expletive)" and he "took the pills a long time ago."

Pickup truck vs. tree crash on Highway 67 -- south of Highway D in Ottawa

A search of DOT records indicates Froemming was convicted of operating a motor vehicle while intoxicated or having a prohibited alcohol concentration -- with convictions occurring in June of 1998, September of 2001 and January of 2003. He made his initial appearance in court on Wednesday, December 27th. A preliminary hearing was scheduled for February 1st, and cash bond was set at $50,000.