Motorcycle fatalities statewide continue to grow, with the two most recent victims dying in separate southeastern Minnesota crashes.
The most recent occurred late Sunday in Goodhue County when a motorcycle left County Road 11 on a sharp curve and struck a road sign about 10 miles west of Pine Island, the Sheriff's Office said.
Killed was Raymond Bartz, 55, of West Concord, Minn. He was wearing a helmet.
Bartz is the 10th person in Minnesota to die in a motorcycle crash in the first 14 days of July and the 31st so far this year.
June through September are typically the deadliest months for motorcyclists in Minnesota, according to figures compiled by the state Department of Public Safety.
Ten motorcyclists were killed in June of this year; 55 died in all of 2012.
Also Sunday, Matthew J. Gerwill died from head injuries suffered in a crash shortly after 12:45 a.m. along 23rd Street SE. in Rochester, police said. Gerwill was taken to St. Marys Hospital in critical condition and died that day.
"He was taking a corner and lost it," police Capt. John Sherwin said. He said Gerwill was not wearing a helmet and suffered fatal head injuries. Otherwise, "the guy probably just [would have] had some road rash" from putting his motorcycle down, the captain added.