Ramsey mother of three killed while checking on another accident victim

By CHAO XIONG, Star Tribune

Last update: October 12, 2009 - 1:29 PM

Fresh from her own car accident Saturday morning, Michelle L. Bartell was checking on another driver whose car had rolled over on the icy pavement when another vehicle slid off the same road and hit her, killing her.

Family members said they're not surprised Bartell, a mother of three from Ramsey, would help someone in distress. Bartell, 45, worked in the grants and donations department of Medtronic and was passionate about educating people about women's heart health after suffering two heart attacks about four years ago, said her older sister, Pamela Payne.

"She was always out to help everybody," said Payne, 46. "It didn't surprise us that she would get out of her vehicle and help someone in need."

Bartell spun out Saturday morning on Interstate 35 at the Forest Lake split. A second driver, Maria Wilson, 34, of Pine City, also spun out. Bartell and Wilson were waiting for a tow truck when a third vehicle, driven by William B. Franks, 58, of Chaska, rolled over nearby. Bartell and Wilson went to check on Franks when Bartell was struck by a fourth vehicle driven by Tirrell Corgard, 70, of Roseville, according to the State Patrol. The road was icy when the accident occurred about 7:56 a.m. in the northbound lanes of I-35.

State Patrol spokesman Lt. Matt Langer said that Bartell was in the ditch when the fourth vehicle spun out of control and struck her. All four vehicles had lost control shortly after crossing a bridge deck that is likely to have been glazed with ice, he said.

Bartell was driving to meet her mother and sister at the Black Bear Casino in Carlton so the threesome could visit an ailing aunt in Wisconsin, said Payne.

Bartell was born and raised in Fairbanks, Alaska. Her family moved to Deer River, Minn., when she was 13. She enjoyed garage sale shopping, cards and camping, Payne said.

"She was my best friend," she said. "I miss her."

Bartell is survived by her parents, a second sister and three children ages 21, 20 and 14.

Chao Xiong • 612-673-4391