Alcohol suspected in ATV crash that injured 12-year-old in northern Minnesota

Crow Wing County sheriff says the driver, a 37-year-old Minneapolis man, was airlifted with severe injuries.

The Minnesota Star Tribune
July 7, 2025 at 4:55PM
Off-highway vehicle use in Minnesota, like that among ATVs, has increased since the pandemic hit.
(Brian Stensaas — Getty Images/iStockphoto/The Minnesota Star Tribune)

A Fourth of July ATV crash hurt a 12-year-old boy from Blaine and severely injured a 37-year-old man from Minneapolis.

The Crow Wing County Sheriff’s Office said in a news release that first responders were called shortly after 6:30 p.m. to the intersection of Minnie Lake Drive and Crooked Creek Road in the small lake town of Emily, about 30 miles north of Brainerd.

Authorities say the man was traveling northeast on Minnie Lake Drive when the ATV left the roadway, striking trees and rolling.

A helicopter brought him to a Duluth-area hospital while the 12-year-old passenger sustained minor injuries and was released after treatment at a local hospital.

The crash remains under investigation and the Sheriff’s Office said alcohol is suspected to be “a contributing factor to the crash.”

about the writer

about the writer

Kim Hyatt

Reporter

Kim Hyatt reports on North Central Minnesota. She previously covered Hennepin County courts.

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