8 killed in weekend crashes in Minnesota, western Wisconsin

Eight people were killed over the weekend in crashes spanning Minnesota into western Wisconsin.

Minnesota crashes

In Woodbury, shortly before 6 p.m. on Friday, troopers say 49-year-old Brian Cahalan lost control of his Harley Davidson motorcycle on the ramp from Highway 61 northbound onto 494. Cahalan went off the road and ended up in the ditch. He was pronounced dead at the scene.

Hours later, shortly after 1 a.m. on Saturday morning, troopers say an Infinity Q50, traveling at a high rate of speed on Highway 10 in Clear Lake Township, rear-ended a Chevy Cobalt. The Cobalt was sent off the road into a ditch, where it rolled multiple times. The Infinity also left the roadway and crashed into a treeline.

A passenger in the Cobalt, who troopers say wasn't wearing a seat belt, was killed in the cash. Another passenger also suffered what troopers say are life-threatening injuries. The driver of the Cobalt and both people in the Infinity are expected to survive.

Saturday evening, shortly after 6 p.m., troopers responded to a crash along Highway 40 in Kandiyohi County. Investigators say in this crash, a semi-truck and a Honda Pilot collided at an intersection west of Willmar. One of two passengers in the Pilot was critically injured and pronounced dead at the hospital. The driver and other passenger are expected to recover from their injuries, troopers report. The driver of the semi was not injured. Troopers did not detail the full circumstance of that crash.

Sunday evening, troopers say a motorcyclist was killed in a crash along Highway 169 in Itasca County. Investigators say the Grand Rapids man, 46-year-old Patrick Millan, lost control of his motorcycle near Bovey Connection Road.

Sunday afternoon, a crash along I-35 in Faribault shut down the highway for a period of time. While six vehicles were involved, troopers say no one was killed.

Just 20 minutes later in Chippewa County, troopers say a 19-year-old Jori Lynn Jones was killed in a collision when a vehicle ran a stop sign at the intersection of Highway 29 and Highway 40. Jones was a member of the Gustavus Adolphus College women’s hockey team. Three of her teammates suffered non-life-threatening injuries in the crash. 

Wisconsin crashes

Three fatal crashes were also reported in western Wisconsin this weekend. 

The first, a teen was killed and another was arrested after an incident Saturday morning in Sand Lake, Wisconsin -- a town about ten miles south of Hayward.

In that incident, deputies say an 18-year-old girl was hit by a truck driven by a 16-year-old at a party. The driver left the scene after the incident. The teen girl died while being transported to the hospital.

The second death in Wisconsin involved a motorcycle crash in Pierce County. Deputies say 58-year-old Michael Cardell of Red Wing was headed north on Highway 63 when traffic slowed in front of him. Investigators say Cardell went into the opposite lane and hit a Chevy Equinox. Cardell was thrown from his motorcycle. He was pronounced dead at the scene.

Also in Pierce County, a man was airlifted to Regions Hospital in St. Paul after a UTV crash in Trimbelle, just west of Ellsworth. Deputies say the driver attempted to make a sharp turn along State Road 65 and lost control of the vehicle. The driver was not hurt but a passenger, 25-year-old Tyler Kattre, was flown to the hospital with unknown injuries.

The third fatal incident happened on Saturday night when a motorcyclist collided with another motorcycle on County Highway M near 19th Avenue, just east of Rice Lake, Wisconsin. The 37-year-old motorcyclist was airlifted to a hospital where he died from his injuries, according to the Barron County Sheriff’s Office. 

The other 31-year-old motorcyclist fled from the scene and was later taken into custody. Authorities believe another motorcycle may be involved in the crash.