MN County Sees 4 ATV Crashes, 1 Fatal, Over Holiday Weekend

CASS COUNTY, MN — Sheriff Tom Burch reports that the Cass County Sheriff’s Office responded to and investigated four ATV crashes over the Memorial Day weekend. Three resulted injuries, and one resulted in death.

Injury: Saturday, May 27 at 12:04 p.m. in the FootHills State Forest

A 2005 Artic Cat ATV was traveling on the ATV trail when it lost control and overturned, pinning the driver underneath it. The driver, a 57-year-old male from Somerton, Arizona, was extracted from the scene and transported to a Twin Cities hospital via North Memorial AirCare.

Injury: Saturday, May 27 at 4:32 p.m. in the FootHills State Forest area

A 2005 Yamaha ATV was traveling on the ATV trail when the driver lost control and fell off the machine. The driver, a 22-year-old male from Marshall, was extricated from the scene and transported to a Brainerd hospital via North Ambulance.

Injury: Saturday, May 27 at 5:54 p.m. in Remer Township

Injured: a male, 56, from St. Michael and a female, age 54, from Clearwater. The investigation shows that a 2014 Polaris Sportsman was traveling on a roadway when it lost control rolling several times and striking a mailbox injuring both the driver and passenger.

Both parties were transported to the Deer River Hospital and the female was further transported via AirCare to a Duluth hospital. The incident remains under investigation. Assisting at the scene was the Remer Ambulance Service.

Fatal: Saturday, May 27 at 10:42 p.m. in Loon Lake Township, rural Pequot Lakes

Deputies and responders responded to the scene and learned that a 2014 Polaris Ranger was traveling on a driveway at a residence when it left the roadway, striking a tree and ejecting the driver and two passengers. The driver of the ATV, Steve Verville, age 42, of Pequot Lakes was pronounced deceased at the scene.

The passengers, a 51-year-old male from Breezy Point and a 46-year-old-male from Cross Lake, were treated at the scene and transported to a Brainerd hospital, according to a news release.

ATVs

Off-highway vehicles (OHVs) include all-terrain vehicles (ATVs), off-highway motorcycles (OHMs), and off-road vehicles (ORVs) such as 4x4s. Safety training is recommended for everyone that operates an OHV. It is required for ATV riders born after July 1, 1987 and OHM riders under the age of 16.

Image via Greg Goebel, Flickr, used under Creative Commons