BLOOMER, Wis. (AP) -- A Chippewa County deputy died Saturday of injuries he sustained when he was hit by a car at the scene of a semi truck fire on Friday night.

Jason Zunker, 31, died Saturday of his injuries, Sheriff James L. Kowalcyzk confirmed at a news conference Saturday.

Zunker had been directing traffic for about six minutes Friday around 9:44 p.m. when he was hit by a car at the scene of the fire on Highway 53. The crash happened just south of Bloomer, in Western Wisconsin, about 100 miles east of Minneapolis.

He was airlifted to a hospital in Eau Claire.

The Wisconsin State Patrol said a Chippewa Falls woman was the driver of the car that hit Zunker and she has been cooperating. They are investigating the crash, which happened in the town of Woodmohr.

Authorities shut down southbound Highway 53 for about an hour and a half Friday night while they dealt with the burning truck. It belonged to Wal-Mart.

Zunker started as a reserve officer in July 2003 and became a deputy sheriff in March 2004. He lived in rural Augusta.

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Information from: The Chippewa Herald, http://www.chippewa.com

(Copyright 2008 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)