Motorcycle crashes kill 4 on state roads

Last update: October 13, 2008 - 8:59 AM

Four people were killed in motorcycle accidents over the weekend on Minnesota roads, the State Patrol reported.

Ryan R. Erdman, 29, of Plymouth was westbound Sunday afternoon on his motorcycle on Interstate 94 near Rogers when he struck the bumper of a Chevy Suburban as he tried to change lanes. State troopers said he lost control, veered off the highway and ended in the ditch. He was thrown from his motorcycle. The two women in the Suburban were not injured.

On Saturday afternoon, David Thoele, 45, of Cologne, Minn., and his passenger, Mary K. Lofquist, 50, of Watertown, Minn., were killed when the driver lost control on a curve and the cycle slid under a pickup. The accident happened at an intersection in Delano.

Herbert Martin, 36, of Brooklyn Park was westbound on Hwy. 610 on Saturday and trying to exit onto Hwy. 252 in Brooklyn Park. He went off the road and back on before crashing.

Police data show that motorcycle accidents are at their highest level in Minnesota in 17 years. In 2007, there were more than 1,600 accidents in the state involving motorcycles.

FROM STAFF AND WIRE REPORTS

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