Sheriff: 2 Dead In Le Sueur County ATV Crash

MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) -- Two people were killed in an ATV crash early Thursday morning in southern Minnesota, according to the Le Sueur County Sheriff's Office.

Authorities were called at about 4:33 a.m. to an ATV crash on Sakatah Lake Road in Waterville Township. The caller reported that the occupants were submerged in Lake Sakatah and were severely injured.

Emergency personnel with the Le Sueur County Sheriff's Office, Waterville Fire and Rescue, North Ambulance and Mayo One all responded to the scene. When they arrived, the two people on the ATV at the time of the crash were pronounced dead at the scene.

They were identified by authorities as 18-year-old Zachary Robert Paulson of Kilkenny and24-year-old Derek Michael Brandvold of Waterville. An investigation showed both men were on the ATV as it was traveling on Sakatah Lake Road. The ATV lost control, both men were ejected from the vehicle and landed on the road, where they were found.

What led up to the accident is under investigation by the Le Sueur County Sheriff's Office with assistance from the Minnesota State Patrol.