OCONTO – An Antigo man died after a violent crash Sunday in which his motorcycle went into what’s known as a “death wobble,” according to the Oconto County Sheriff’s Office.

The fatal crash happened the day after a similar phenomenon caused a different motorcycle to crash on the same highway in Oconto County, leaving two people injured.

Jonathan L. Collins, 42, was driving north in the left lane of U.S. 41 in the town of Abrams on Sunday when the motorcycle began to experience a “death wobble,” witnesses told deputies. 

The phenomenon, also known as a “head shake,” causes the front of the motorcycle to rapidly oscillate back and forth. According to a number motorcycle websites, the wobble can result from rider error, mechanical problems or aerodynamics.

Witnesses said the motorcycle operator lost control and hit gravel, causing the machine to flip several times into the median, according to a crash report released on Thursday.

The motorcycle continued to roll until it hit the cable barrier between the median and southbound lane, then flipped over the barrier and came to rest on the shoulder.

The crash occurred just east of the U.S. 41/141 interchange about 3:53 p.m.

Collins, who was not wearing a helmet, was taken by medical helicopter to St. Vincent Hospital and pronounced dead shortly after 1 p.m. Monday.

This was the fourth highway death in Oconto County this year.

A New Berlin couple were seriously injured Saturday after the motorcycle they were riding in the town of Lena in Oconto County also began to shake.

The Oconto County Sheriff’s Office was assisted at Sunday's crash by fire departments from Abrams, Little River and Pensaukee; Oconto Ambulance Service, County Rescue, Pensaukee First Responders, and the Brown County Medical Examiner’s Office.

RELATED:Two seriously injured in Oconto County after motorcycle begins to head shake

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Contact Kent Tempus at (920) 431-8226 or ktempus@gannett.com.