Rochester Area Crashes Injure 3 Motorcyclists

Rochester, MN (KROC-AM News) - Three motorcyclists were injured Saturday in crashes near Rochester.

The State Patrol says the first incident occurred in Olmsted County on Highway 247 near Potsdam around 11:30 am. The crash report says three motorcyclists were traveling east when a westbound pickup truck crossed over the centerline and they were laid down their motorcycles to avoid a head-on collision.

Two of the motorcyclists, Regino Ortega of Dodge Center and 47-year-old Michael Hoffman of Mankato, were transported to St. Marys Hospital with non-life threatening injuries. The three occupants of the pickup, one of the motorcycle drivers and a passenger on Hoffman’s motorcycle, were not hurt.

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A Winona man was injured Saturday afternoon the motorcycle he was driving was forced off the roadway by the driver of a semi-truck. The State Patrol says the incident occurred shortly before 1:30 pm when the driver of the truck, who was unaware of Stephen Wheeler on his Harley Davidson beside him, switched lanes on eastbound I-90 near the Lewiston exit. The maneuver forced the motorcycle to veer into the median, where Wheeler eventually lost control and crashed.

The State Patrol reported indicated he was not wearing a helmet and was transported to the hospital in Winona with what appeared to be non-life threatening injuries. The Georgia man driving the semi-truck was ticketed for the unsafe lane change.

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