LANESBORO, MN — A Wisconsin woman suffered life-threatening injuries after a motorcycle and car collided Saturday afternoon at the intersection of Hwy. 16 and Fillmore County Road 21 near Lanesboro. The Minnesota State Patrol said the crash happened shortly before 5:15 p.m. and involved alcohol on the motorcycle side of the incident.
The passenger, 53-year-old Linnea Birgitta Rice of Galesville, Wisconsin, was taken to St. Mary’s Hospital in Rochester. The motorcycle driver, 57-year-old Mathew Christian Barnholtz of Winona, was also hospitalized with non-life-threatening injuries.
Crash details
According to the crash report, the motorcycle was traveling west on Hwy. 16 while the car was heading east when the vehicles collided. Authorities did not say which vehicle crossed into the opposite lane before the impact.
The car was driven by 74-year-old Robert Lee of Rochester, who was the only person in the vehicle. The State Patrol said Lee was not hurt.
Injuries and safety
Rice and Barnholtz were not wearing helmets, the report said. Barnholtz was also suspected of having alcohol in his system at the time of the crash.
Lee was wearing a seat belt. Emergency crews from Preston Ambulance, the Lanesboro Fire Department, the Preston Police Department and the Fillmore County Sheriff’s Office responded to the scene.
Agency response
The State Patrol continues to document the collision as an alcohol-involved crash. No charges or citations were mentioned in the report, and investigators did not provide additional details about the sequence of events.
The crash adds to a string of serious traffic incidents reported in the region, but officials have released only the basic facts from Saturday’s collision for now.
From the Twin Cities to the border and back, Travel Your Way keeps Minnesota informed.