Bicyclist injured in crash; air ambulance grounded

A Hartland man was injured Tuesday, July 18, at about 7 p.m., when the bicycle he was riding crossed a centerline and hit an oncoming sport utility vehicle in Sibley County.
According to the Sibley County Sheriff’s Office, 28-year-old Mitchell Brekke of Hartland was riding with a group of about eight Mankato-area bicyclists on Sibley County Highway 20 about one-fourth mile south of Sibley County Highway 8 when he lost control and entered the northbound lane, and struck a 2008 Saturn Vue driven by Claudia Flores, 63, of Le Sueur.
Based upon bicycle GPS data and the reports of other cyclists, the group was traveling south at about 28 miles per hour when the accident occurred.
Another of the bicyclists was a physician assistant and began first aid for Mitchell. North Memorial Air Care was summoned and had landed on the highway and its crew was preparing Mitchell for transport when the pilot reported engine trouble and said the helicopter would not be flown from the crash site. Mitchell was then taken by Le Sueur ground ambulance to a hospital.
The Sibley and Nicollet highway departments responded and blocked off the road because of the inoperable North Memorial helicopter on the roadway.
Assisting at the scene were  the Nicollet County Sheriff’s Office, Le Sueur Fire Department, Le Sueur Ambulance and Minnesota State Patrol.