A 25-year-old snowmobiler riding with a passenger on an Anoka County lake early Thursday went airborne at the shoreline, slammed into a tree and was killed, authorities said.
The crash happened about 2 a.m. on the eastern edge of Reshanau Lake in Lino Lakes, killing John Brandenburger of Lino Lakes, the Anoka County Sheriff's Office said.
The passenger, Adrianne Knotz, 25, of Circle Pines, suffered numerous broken bones and was taken to Regions Hospital in St. Paul, according to the Sheriff's Office. She remained in the hospital as of Thursday afternoon.
The impact of the snowmobile severed the tree at its base, the Sheriff's Office said.
Just before the two set out on the vehicle, Brandenburger gave his helmet to Knotz to wear, the Sheriff's Office said.
They had been with friends at a nearby bar and were on their way to a home across the lake shortly before the crash, the Sheriff's Office said. Authorities cautioned that they have not determined whether alcohol impairment played a role in the wreck.
PAUL WALSH
