Make Roadway Safer By Being More Alert of Motorcycles

Editor's Note: The following features are from Lakeville Police Chief Thomas Vonhof's weekly newsletter, "Breezes."

Patrol officers respond to traffic crashes on a daily basis. Most motor vehicle crashes that officers respond to involve only property damage to the vehicles involved and no one is injured. A much smaller number of traffic crashes also involve personal injuries to the occupants of the vehicles in the crash that can range from very minor to life threatening. Fatal motor vehicle crashes are, thankfully, infrequent occurrences but even one traffic fatality is too many. With the warmer weather here, we can all make our roadways safer by being more alert for motorcycles on the road.

Officers Jim Dronen and Tom Stewart responded to a report of serious traffic crash with injuries last Saturday, June 22 at the intersection of 202nd Street and Cedar Avenue shortly after 6 p.m. Upon arriving at the traffic crash scene, the officers found that a motorcycle and a single car had crashed, tragically killing a 26-year-old man from Claremont, Minnesota. The motorcycle operator, who was identified as James Alan Batten II, was pronounced dead at the scene. The driver of the other vehicle involved in the crash was treated for minor injuries.

While an investigation of the crash by the Lakeville Police Department is ongoing, the preliminary findings indicate the motorcycle was traveling northbound on Cedar Avenue. A vehicle on 202nd Street entered the intersection making a left hand turn to the northbound lane of Cedar Avenue, directly in the path of the motorcycle which was traveling northbound. The motorcycle operator attempted to stop, but crashed into the rear of the vehicle. He was ejected from the motorcycle and struck the vehicle and pavement. Captain Tim Knutson, who was off duty in his personal vehicle, witnessed the crash. He stopped and rendered first aid to the injured motorcyclist and began CPR. The responding officers on scene also attempted life saving measures, which were unsuccessful.

There were no other vehicles involved in the crash. The team of LPD officers and Minnesota State Patrol Troopers investigating the fatal crash closed the northbound lane of Cedar Avenue and remained on the scene conducting the crash investigation for a few hours. The causal factors of the traffic crash remain under investigation by the Lakeville Police Department and the Minnesota State Patrol.

RECOVERED STOLEN CAR

Officer Josh Berkebile was on patrol one day this week when he ran a license plate registration on a moving vehicle that matched the description of a vehicle recently stolen in Lakeville. It took a few minutes for the computer query response to come back, so when he found out it was indeed the stolen vehicle, the stolen vehicle had moved on.

Officer Berkebile was undeterred and checked the area in which he last saw the vehicle. After searching the area, he located the stolen vehicle parked, but unoccupied. The vehicle was towed and returned to the owner. The investigation into the case continues.

WEEKLY LPD SNAPSHOT

Sampling of LPD activity for the week of June 20 – 27, 2013

Traffic crashes 4 Alarms 42 Animal Calls 51

Medical Emergency Calls 21 Thefts 17 Traffic Stops 192