Bayfield officials report ATV, motorcycle accidents over long weekend

Two ATV accidents and a motorcycle accident kept emergency responders busy over the Labor Day weekend in Bayfield County in Wisconsin.

On Saturday, just before 8 p.m., a male driver of an ATV and his female passenger suffered head injuries after they failed to negotiate a curve and struck an embankment and tree off Forest Road 242 in the Township of Iron River, the Bayfield County Sheriff’s Office reported.

Zachary King of Superior, 22, was found unconscious on the scene. Bridgett Tahtinen, 18, had visible head injuries. They were sent to the Iron River Airport and then taken by helicopter to hospitals in Duluth.

Police said the victims were not wearing helmets and alcohol use is a suspected contributing factor.

On Sunday, two drivers in a pack of ATVs collided in the Township of Pilsen on the Tri-County Corridor trail at about 2 p.m.

Police said a 38-year-old male driver from Hugo, Minn., had stopped at a crossroads when a 14-year-old driver from Rosemount, Minn., rammed into the back of the man’s vehicle.

The man was not hurt. The boy, who was wearing a helmet, was thrown off his ATV and onto the trail. The boy was taken to a hospital in Ashland. Police said he had the state safety certificate required to operate the ATV.

Police said dust from the group of westbound ATVs likely created visibility problems for the boy.

The sheriff’s office received a call at 3:40 p.m. Sunday about a motorcycle accident on County Road M in Namakagon.

A 44-year-old woman from Lake Nebagamon was westbound when she apparently missed a curve near McCloud Lake Road and went into a tree line.

She was wearing a helmet and police suspect she did not suffer any head injuries but likely had a broken wrist, dislocated shoulder and many cuts and scrapes.

Friends of the woman said she had been on a long trip and fatigue likely played a part in the accident.

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