Silver Lake student injured in fatal crash

An 18-year-old Silver Lake resident was one of four high school seniors involved in a fatal crash Wednesday night (May 28).

According to the State Patrol, Mitchell Bayerl of Silver Lake was in criticial condition after the two-vehicle crash, which occurred at about 6:11 p.m., at the intersection State Highway 55 and Wright County Road 6. A total of six people were injured and one — Madeysen Kleve, 18, of Howard Lake, was killed.

The four high school seniors were returning from a track meet at St. John’s University in Collegeville, according to the Minneapolis Star Tribune. Their 2001 Nissan Altima, driven by 17-year-old Waverly resident Brie Barfknecht was southbound on County Road 6. Barfknecht allegedly stopped at a stop sign before pulling in front of an eastbound 1997 Dodge Ram truck.

The truck broadsided the Nissan and went into the ditch. Two passengers in the Nissan were ejected — Bayerl and Kacie Carlsted, 18, of Howard Lake. Kleve died at the scene. Carlsted was taken to St. Cloud Hospital and Bayerl to Hennepin County Medical Center and are in critical condition. Barfknecht was taken to Buffalo Hospital with non-life threatening injuries.

The truck’s occupants all received non-life threatening injuries and included driver Joshua Hoffenkamp, 27, and passengers Seann and Kaia Hoffenkamp, ages 2 and 4, all of Maple Lake.

(Jorge Sosa is a staff writer for the Hutchinson Leader. He can be reached at sosa@hutchinsonleader.com)