ATV Crash Along Wobegon Trail Near Sauk Centre Leaves One Person Dead, Three Injured

(KNSI) – An ATV crash on the Wobegon Trail on Sunday left one person dead and three others injured.

The Stearns County Sheriff’s Office says first responders were called to the scene on the trail east of Sauk Centre, near 415th Street, around 12:30 a.m. Sunday.

The sheriff’s office says a 20-year-old Sauk Centre man was driving a 2020 Polaris ATV westbound on the trail, with a 23-year-old Sauk Centre man riding on the front rack. Authorities say the ATV struck a man and a woman from Sauk Centre. All four people fell down a steep embankment off the trail, with the two men on the ATV being thrown from it.

When authorities arrived, they found three people with severe injuries. One of the pedestrians, 50-year-old Scott Nathe, was found at the scene unconscious and not breathing. He was taken to Sauk Centre Hospital, where he later died. The other two people — the 35-year-old woman and the ATV passenger — were taken to Melrose Hospital for their injuries.

The sheriff’s office says the driver of the ATV had been taken to Sauk Centre Hospital in a private vehicle before authorities arrived. He was later flown to St. Cloud Hospital for treatment.

Authorities say alcohol appears to be a factor in the crash, which is still under investigation. Motorized vehicles are not allowed on the Wobegon Trail.

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