patching...
Update: Don't miss a beat! Get your free Fridley Patch newsletter. »
Welcome back, Patch Blogger!

Updated: Cyclist Killed by Plow Had No Lights

Kerry Steven Baker, 46, was dead at the scene Sunday on East River Road in Fridley.

 

Update (Tuesday, 4:30 p.m.): Investigators won't know for weeks whether the cyclist who died Sunday in a crash with a snowplow was impaired by alcohol or drugs.

According to Cmdr. Paul Sommer of the Anoka County Sheriff's Office, "it has yet to be determined if alcohol or other chemicals played a role in the death. Toxicology typically takes weeks to get back."

Kerry Steven Baker, 46, was dead at the scene when Fridley police arrived at the scene at 7 a.m. Sunday (about an hour before sunrise) in the 4700 block of East River Road.

In a statement Tuesday, Sommer said the sheriff's office does not suspect alcohol played a role on the driver of the private snowplow truck, which was not plowing snow at the time.

Baker was riding north in the left southbound lane when the southbound truck struck him, according to the statement.

Baker's bike did not have lights and he was not wearing a helmet, according to  Sommer. 

The sheriff's office also said that Baker had no current address.

One of the few pieces of information about Baker to come out Tuesday was his criminal record. According to online state court records, 10 of 13 cases in which Baker was convicted between 1985–2005 involved alcohol, drugs, driving or some combination of those (such as DWI).

Update (Tuesday, 1 p.m.): The Anoka County Sheriff's Office released a statement with more information about the bike-snowplow truck crash that killed 46-year-old cyclist Kerry S. Baker on Sunday morning on East River Road in Fridley. 

Baker’s bicycle did not have any lighting in place and Baker was not wearing a helmet at the time of the crash. Baker had massive injuries including multiple broken bones and internal damage to his organs.

The snow plow was not plowing snow at the time.

The sheriff's statement confirms that Baker was traveling northbound in the southbound lanes of traffic on East River Road, and that the plow was a privately operated. The time of the incident was 6:56 a.m.

The sheriff's statement said Baker had "no permanent address."

Update (Tuesday, 11 a.m.): The Anoka County medical examiner has identified the 46-year-old man killed Sunday when a snowplow truck hit his bike on East River Road in Fridley as Kerry S. Baker.

Baker "died as a result of multiple blunt force injuries sustained when his bicycle collided with a snow plow," according to the Midwest Medical Examiner's Office. 

The Midwest Medical Examiner's Office listed "no current address" for Baker's residence. Authorities have said he was a resident of New Brighton.

He did not have a helmet or a headlight, according to Cmdr. Paul Sommer of the Anoka County Sheriff's Office:

The bicyclist was not wearing a helmet and had no lighting on his bicycle.

The bicycle was traveling northbound in the southbound lane of traffic in the left lane of traffic.

The plow driver was traveling southbound in the left lane of southbound east river road.

The plow driver was a private operator, not a city, county or state plow driver. The plow driver was cooperative with the investigation and it not suspected that alcohol was a factor on the part of the plow driver.

Original post (Tuesday, 10 am.): Fridley police had nothing new to say Tuesday morning about the death of a bicyclist Sunday morning after a collision with a private snowplow truck on East River Road. 

The victim, a 46-year-old New Brighton man, was dead at the scene when Fridley police arrived, according to Anoka County Emergency Dispatch.

The names of the victim, the plow truck driver and the company that the plow truck driver was working for are still under wraps, according to Lt. Mike Monsrud. 

Agencies involved in the investigation include the Fridley Police Department, Anoka County Sheriff's Office, Minnesota State Patrol and Midwest Medical Examiner's Office.

Monsrud said he couldn't comment on aspects of the incident including whether the bicyclist was wearing a helmet, the direction the bicyclist was riding, and whether the bike had a headlight.

Anoka County Emergency Dispatch released a statement Sunday saying that it appeared the bicyclist was traveling northbound in the left southbound lane of East River Road.

The crash happened in the 4700 block of East River Road, between Anoka County Riverfront Park and the Burlington Northern Santa Fe railyard. 

A WCCO-TV report said that the bike did not have a headlamp as required by law and showed Fridley police loading a bike with a crumpled front wheel into the trunk of a squad car. The bike had a child seat and appeared to have a front reflector.

Related Topics: Bicyclist, Bike, Crash, Death, Fridley, New Brighton, Police, Truck, east river road, and snowplow

Patch_comments_icon

Chris Steller

2:36 pm on Tuesday, January 3, 2012

There is a discussion of this fatal crash at the MPLSBikeLove online forum. One commenter offers a possible explanation why a bicyclist would be northbound in the left lane of southbound East River Road. ChrisAdyNelson wrote: "From the little information available on this story, I wonder if the cyclist was going the wrong way because he didn't recognize it was a divided road. If it was a non-divided road, he would have been in the correct place. Either way, it's just a very sad to start of 2012."

http://mplsbikelove.com/forum/viewtopic.php?p=277765#p277765

Reply

Tyrone Wallace

8:47 pm on Wednesday, January 4, 2012

Sometimes we as Americans should take the time to think before we write, because for the life of me I don't understand what his back round and if he had a home are not has to do with what happened, he was a father a friend uncle son and a all around good guy if you would have done your home work you would have found this out,I had the pleasure of meeting him and he was a great guy,did you ever think that his kids might read your article and might like to hear the good he did,I sit here and I hope and pray that we as a people would come to love each other know matter of the past because we all have a past those without sin cast the first stone, you are loved Kerry and will be missed love Tyrone I shook your hand for a minute but it will last a life time

Reply
Patch_comments_icon

Chris Steller

1:23 am on Thursday, January 5, 2012

Thank you for the comment and the criticism. I have heard from other people--some who knew him, some who did not--who feel much the same as you. A new post about him is in the works that I hope you will find better reflects the man you loved. Please comment again, or email or call. I need help from you who knew him to get it right and to do better. - Chris (chris.steller@patch.com, 763-218-8319)

Reply

michelle ringold

4:00 pm on Tuesday, January 10, 2012

Well i grew up this man being my neighbor and my fathers very good
friend im sick of people bringing up his criminal past or whether he had lights or even if he had a home so what he was killed by another human being last time i checked that was a crime i have a million memories of kerry and none are bad he would have helped anyone and now its time fot people. to help him and his familybring justive no one would get away with this if it was anyone else we love u kerry and u will always be remembered.

Reply
Patch_comments_icon

Chris Steller

4:06 pm on Tuesday, January 10, 2012

Thank you for the comment, Michelle.

Reply

kevin

7:06 pm on Tuesday, January 10, 2012

so are we blaming kerry for being killed, do we not ask what the driver was doing and
why he didnt see him with or without lights or a helmet, its a straight road the truck should have lights the driver should be alert, we didnt even get enough snow to be
bothered with, the snow is gone and so is he.........

Reply

Leave a comment