Motorcycle crash near Pelican Lake sends two to hospital

A 37-year-old Lake Park woman was flown to Fargo after a motorcycle crash near Pelican Lake left her and a 41-year-old Monticello man injured in the dark before dawn. The wreck happened on Highway 9 near Pelican Drive on the west side of Pelican Lake, where deputies found the motorcycle had tipped and slid about 30 yards into the ditch.

The Otter Tail County Sheriff’s Office responded just after 2 a.m. Saturday, and local reports said the woman suffered a head injury and a possible leg injury. Life Link air ambulance took her to a Fargo hospital for treatment. The Monticello man was also hurt, with a head injury and a broken leg, and was taken to Essentia Health in Detroit Lakes.

Deputies said the motorcycle was traveling south on Highway 9 when it tipped. Investigators had not said what caused the bike to go down, and reports did not say whether either rider was wearing a helmet or whether alcohol was involved. Those unanswered questions are now part of the crash review, but the injuries themselves showed how quickly a single loss of control can turn serious on a rural highway.

The location gives the crash added weight for families who travel the Pelican Lake corridor in the early morning hours. Highway 9 near Pelican Drive is a familiar route for residents, cabin owners and visitors moving through lake country, and the timing left little room for visibility or reaction. On a motorcycle, even a brief wobble on a dark stretch of road can send a rider into the ditch in seconds.

The crash also fits into a larger concern for Minnesota riders. MPR News reported that five people were killed in weekend motorcycle crashes across the state in early June 2026, a reminder that motorcycle wrecks can turn deadly fast even when the first report only lists injuries. In Otter Tail County, Saturday’s crash ended with two hospitalizations, one helicopter flight and an early morning stretch of Highway 9 that quickly became an emergency scene.