An Austin native and former Dexter resident was killed Friday night in a snowmobile accident in Red Rock Township.

Tuesday, January 02, 2001

An Austin native and former Dexter resident was killed Friday night in a snowmobile accident in Red Rock Township.

Troy Bradley Jech, 36, of Kasson was killed at 8:09 p.m. Friday in the accident near 230th Street in Red Rock Township.

Jech was riding with a party of five individuals at the time of the accident. According to Sheriff Barry Simonson, Jech was thrown from his snowmobile after nearly hitting a utility pole. Another snowmobile driver ran over him after he was thrown.

Gold Cross Ambulance Service was called to the scene, but were unable to revive Jech. He was pronounced dead at Austin Medical Center.

The investigation remains open, pending autopsy results.

Jech graduated from Southland High School. He was born in Austin and lived in Dexter before moving to Kasson in November. He was employed as a maintenance technician with Southern Minnesota Oil Co.

In another Friday night snowmobile accident, a Rochester man died in a Dakota County accident.

Brian Lynn Douglas, 35, of Rochester, died when he fell off a snowmobile being driven by his brother and was dragged in a farm field near Farmington.

In a two-snowmobile accident near Pipestone on Saturday, a Jasper man was killed.

The Minnesota State Patrol reported the accident happened about 8:30 p.m. Saturday on Highway 23 in southwestern Minnesota.

Todd Kelly Thompson, 38, was pronounced dead at a nearby hospital.

The state patrol released few details of the crash, saying only that it was a rear-end accident and Thompson was wearing a helmet.

Both snowmobiles sustained minor damage. The driver of the other vehicle was not hurt.

Thompson was at least the sixth person to die in a snowmobiling accident in 2000.

An 18-year-old Rogers man was killed Thursday when he lost control of his snowmobile while driving in a ditch along a country road in Hassan Township, just outside of Rogers.