Minn. skier hit on ice likely died quickly

The Dundas, Minn., man hit by a vehicle while skiing on Chequamegon Bay last month likely died within minutes of being hit, according to the autopsy.

Bjorn Erik Norgaard was found by a snowmobiler at 8:30 a.m. Feb. 20. He had been skiing on the Lake Superior bay between Washburn and Ashland on the route where a popular ski race had been held the day before.

Sometime around midnight a car or truck driving in the opposite direction struck Norgaard, causing the fatal injuries. The driver did not stop or immediately report the accident.

Bayfield County Sheriff Paul Susienka, in a news release Thursday, said a preliminary report from the pathologist who performed the autopsy said Norgaard died of blunt impact injuries to his head, and that he believed death would have occurred within minutes.

Several hours after the body was found, a 16-year-old boy went to police and identified himself as the driver of the vehicle that struck Norgaard. No charges have been filed, and the boy’s name hasn’t been released.

Susienka said the Sheriff’s Office was waiting for results of a toxicology reading from the driver sent to the Wisconsin Crime Lab. It may take up to six weeks for the results.

Once results are received, the case will be sent to the Bayfield County district attorney and the Bayfield County Department of Human Services to consider possible charges.

Susienka said Norgaard’s parents were briefed on the preliminary cause of death last week “to somewhat ease their suffering because of the enormous amount of incorrect and damaging rumors that have spread through the community.”

Chief Deputy Dan Clark said rumors had been surfacing on Facebook and in other circles that Norgaard had suffered only minor injuries from the crash and then died from exposure and that he might have lived if the driver had stopped.

“The situation is tragic enough. But those rumors simply weren’t true, and they were fostering a lot of hate based on false assumptions,” Clark said.

Clark would not comment on whether the 16-year-old admitted to knowing that he had struck Norgaard.

The Duluth (Minn.) News Tribune is owned by Forum Communications Co.

Tags: news, accident, skiing