19-year-old Michael Bartoli of Campbellsport was killed Friday morning in a traffic accident just south of Campbellsport in the Town of Auburn.

Bartoli's car was struck by a pickup truck at 12:43 a.m., according to the Fond du Lac county Sheriff's Department report.

He was pronounced dead at 1:58 a.m. at St. Agnes Hospital.

He was apparently south bound on County Trunk "V" when he sideswiped by a pickup truck (south bound also; driven by Patrick Lindsley) that was attempting to pass him (Mike) on the left, according to Sheriff's Dept. officers.

The accident is under investigation, but officers believe Bartoli was attempting to make a left turn when he was struck.

Bartoli was alone in his vehicle.

Two occupants ( Pat and his former girlfriend, Heather ) were treated and released from St. Agnes Hospital.

CAMPBELLSPORT- Small town life is all Geraldine Bartoli gas ever known. She lives in the house she was raised in. Her family runs a business right outside the door. She knows her neighbors and most of the people in the community.

But small-town life isn't all it's cracked up to be lately.

Her 19-year-old son Michael was killed in July 1998 in a traffic accident in front of their house.

Patrick Lindsley, 26, also of Campbellsport, was convicted Sept.10 of driving the car (full-size pickup) that struck and killed him (Mike). He faces up to 40 years in prison. Sentencing will be announced at a court date yet to be scheduled.

Robert Lindsley, Patrick's father, said Saturday night that he did not want to comment on the matter at this time.

The fatal accident and resulting court proceedings have divided this small community in southeastern Fond du Lac County.

"It's very hard," Bartoli told The Reporter last week. "We live with these people daily. Of I go into Campbellsport, with it being such a small town, I do see one or another of the family (the Lindsleys). We do have to deal with the family."

Former employees of their business, Bartoli Produce, have turned against her family, she said, because they believe the Bartoli's are responsible for pursuing charges against Lindsley.

But in criminal cases, charges are filed by the state, not individuals.

"Yes, I do believe he should do some time for this, but I don't want to be held responsible for the charges," Bartoli said.

Bartoli said friends have asked her if she feel like the opposite of a magnet when she goes into town. "Yes, I do," she said. "People think Michael was at fault because it was reported he was drinking and had marijuana in his system at the time of the accident."

Bartoli (Mike) had slowed to turn left into the family's driveway when he struck by Lindsley as he attempted to pass on the left.

Tests show Lindsley's blood alcohol level was .177 at the time of the accident. Bartoli said her son's BAC was .018, the equivalent of one beer, according to court testimony.

The amount of marijuana in Bartoli's system was minute, a trace, as well, his mother said, far from the amount needed to be "high".

"People are coming to me and saying, 'Well, Michael was drunk and high in drugs, how can you blame somebody else," she said. "What he had in his system had very little or no effect on his driving.:

Her son wasn't a drinker, Bartoli said.

"We occasionally (special occasions) offered him alcohol, but he never took it," she said.

The people who have criticized her family don't understand what it is like to lose a child, she said.

Bartoli will never forget the night her son died in her arms.

She woke up about 12:45 a.m. and noticed that Michael's shoes were not in their usual place.

"I thought, 'Michael, where are you. Come home safe.' " she said.

Looking out the bathroom window, she saw the lights of a car coming down the hill.

" It was slowing down. I knew what his car sounded like. I sat down on the bed and said, 'Thank God, you're home,' and then I heard the crash."

She ran outside in time to hold her son while he drew his last final breaths.

She can't sleep at night without a fan running in her bedroom.

"I can't stand the sound of a car going by," she said. "I keep hearing that sound."

She will never forget what happened, and she doesn't know if she will be able to forgive Patrick Lindsley.

"It's hard to forgive knowing how Michael was killed," Bartoli said. " There isn't a night I go to bed that I don't see him, the accident and what happened."

"The doctors said he was killed instantly, but he was still breathing while I was holding him," she said. " I just know for a matter of a second or two he knew something..."

Bartoli said that people walk away from her because they become uncomfortable when she discusses Michael's death.

Each night, the fan humming in her bedroom, one thought courses through her mind: "Michael's dead and we'll never get him back."