Investigations continue into accident that claimed LeRoy man

By Mia Simpson | Austin Daily Herald

Published Tuesday, July 1, 2008

Investigations into a fatal motorcycle crash involving a LeRoy man continue, according to Fillmore County Sheriff Daryl Jensen, who said the volume of fatalities in the region has resulted in a backlog of cases stretching to mid-May.

“It has such an effect on a small department,” Jensen said. “We’re just not prepared for these numbers.”

Kenneth Knutson, 32, is the eighth to die in roadway crashes in Fillmore County since mid-April. He was pronounced dead at the scene Thursday after a sport utility vehicle struck his motorcycle around 8 p.m. about one mile north of Wykoff.

According to a press release, Knutson and his 24-year-old wife, Amanda, were traveling southbound down County Road 5 on separate motorcycles when the northbound SUV struck his motorcycle while rounding a left turn.

“And he basically turned right into the lead motorcycle,” Jensen said, adding that the setting sun may have impaired the sight of the driver, 23-year-old Travis Jensen, of Stewartville.

Amanda Knutson fell to the side while still in motion, and suffered less serious injury. She was treated and released from St. Marys Hospital, according to a Mayo spokesperson.

The Wykoff First Responders, Wykoff Fire Department and Spring Valley Ambulance responded to the scene, said the press release. Jensen said the accident remains under investigation by his office and the Minnesota State Patrol.

---

WOULD YOU LIKE TO SHARE THIS STORY?

---