By Tim Engstrom, Tribune managing editor

A black 2000 Ford Escort rolled over on Stevens Street in Albert Lea on Friday afternoon before coming to rest upside up beside the drive-through of Burger King.

The car was headed westbound at a high rate of speed before it rolled, flipped and came to a rest, said witness Jon Ford of Albert Lea. One of the two men was ejected from the automobile.

&8220;I didn’t even see him get ejected. By the time I got down here I was calling 911,&8221; Ford said.

Both men in the car suffered injuries. Kary Alfred Kleinschrodt, 27, was airlifted to St. Marys Hospital in Rochester. Adam Edward Sorum, 18, was transported to Naeve Hospital in Albert Lea.

Clothes were on the ground. Beer bottles were inside the Escort, which had Hello Kitty seat covers. The Minnesota State Patrol and the Albert Lea Police Department were at the scene along with the Albert Lea Fire Department. Authorities blocked traffic while they documented the scene.

Lt. Jeff Strom of the Albert Lea Police Department said it was a busy St. Patrick’s Day in Albert Lea for emergency responders. The Reule house fire kept staff busy for hours, then between 4 and 5 p.m. several traffic accidents occurred, including the rollover at Burger King.

Strom said the rollover is under investigation and could not comment on whether alcohol was a factor or on which of the two men were driving the Escort. He said the Albert Lea city engineer, using documentation of the scene, will create a map of the rollover for investigators.