Man dies in motorcycle fatality

Published 10:00 am Monday, May 24, 2010

A 35-year-old Albert Lea man died Saturday as a result of his motorcycle going off the road west of Freeborn.

Ryan Orlando Bakken graduated from Albert Lea High School in 1994. His obituary is on Page 3. The accident took place near the intersection of County Road 6 and County Road 29, reportedly at 2:19 p.m.

Freeborn First Responders were first to arrive at the scene.

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A report by the Freeborn County Sheriff’s Office said it appeared Bakken was westbound on County Road 29, missed the curve near County Road 6 and went into the ditch, striking bushes and trees.

The Freeborn County Engineering Office and Minnesota State Patrol assisted with the investigation.

“There is no indication that weather, other vehicles or road conditions had any influence in the cause of this accident, “ according to a Sheriff’s Office news release.

Another motorcycle accident took place on Saturday near Exit 12 on Interstate 35 at 8:08 p.m.

A report from the Freeborn County Sheriff’s Office lists Jacob Alan Jensen, 26, no address listed, and Daniel John Schmidt, 30, no address listed, as being involved. The two men listed may have also been injured.

The report was written by the Minnesota State Patrol and as of press time no further details were available.

To the west

Two people are dead in separate traffic accidents in southwestern Minnesota.

A Truman High School student was killed Saturday night after a single vehicle rollover near Truman. The Martin County Sheriff’s Office says a second person in the car was injured and was airlifted from the scene.

Earlier Saturday, a 25-year-old woman was killed after she was ejected from her vehicle in a crash near the town of Lake Crystal. She was transported by Mayo One air ambulance to Rochester but died from her injuries en route.

The Minnesota State Patrol is investigating both accidents with help from local authorities.

— The Associated Press contributed to this report.