4 ATV crashes on same day in same Minn. county leave 1 dead, 6 injured

One of the victims is in critical condition; crashes occurred less than 11 hours apart on Saturday in Cass County.

May 31, 2017 at 1:15AM

Four crashes involving all-terrain vehicles occurred less than 11 hours apart on the same day in one north-central Minnesota county, killing one person and injuring six others, the Cass County Sheriff's Office said Tuesday.

The fatal crash occurred about 10:40 p.m. Saturday in Loon Lake Township near Pequot Lakes. The ATV's 42-year-old driver, Steve Verville of Pequot Lakes, was killed. Two passengers, 51-year-old Kevin D. Rogers, of Breezy Point, Minn., and 46-year-old Troy M. Cable, of Cross Lake, Minn., were injured.

The first crash occurred about noon near Backus in Foot Hills State Forest. Kevin T. Baker, 57, of Somerton, Ariz., lost control of his ATV on a trail and it overturned onto him. He was taken to North Memorial Medical Center and was in critical condition Tuesday afternoon.

About 4:30 p.m. on a trail in the same forest, 22-year-old Timothy F. Czeck, of Marshall, Minn., fell off his ATV. He was taken to a Brainerd hospital with unspecified injuries.

Shortly before 6 p.m., 56-year-old Randy L. Puncochar, of St. Michael, Minn., and 54-year-old Kellie Jean Juhl, of Clearwater, Minn., were injured when their ATV rolled several times on a road in Remer Township. Both were taken to a nearby hospital, and the woman was then transferred by air ambulance to a Duluth hospital.

Other than Baker, authorities have yet to disclose the severity of the injuries that riders suffered.

Paul Walsh • 612-673-4482

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about the writer

Paul Walsh

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Paul Walsh is a general assignment reporter at the Star Tribune. He wants your news tips, especially in and near Minnesota.

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