Bemidji Woman Killed In Motorcycle Crash

A Bemidji woman was killed when a cargo van struck a motorcyclist at the junction of Paul Bunyan Drive Southeast and 23^rd Street Southeast Wednesday evening.

The Beltrami County Sheriff’s 911 dispatch center received information of a motor vehicle crash shortly after 5:00pm involving a motorcycle and a cargo van.

After arriving on the scene, it was determined that the operator of the motorcycle Vicki A. Inkel, 62, of Bemidji, died at the scene from injuries sustained in the crash. The driver of the cargo van, Thomas L. Kern, 54, of Bemidji was not injured.

The Beltrami County Sheriff’s Office says that a preliminary investigation of the crash revealed that Inkel, operating a 2012 BMW, was traveling northbound on Paul Bunyan Dr. SE, when she was struck by the eastbound vehicle operated by Kern, who was operating a 2016 GMC Savannah cargo van.

The preliminary investigation has revealed that alcohol or electronic communication devices were not a factor in the crash. The Beltrami County Sheriff’s Office has requested the assistance of the Minnesota State Patrol with a reconstruction of the crash.

Along with the Beltrami County Sheriff’s Office, responding to the scene were; Bemidji Police Department, Bemidji Fire Department, Bemidji Ambulance Service, and the Minnesota State Patrol. This deadly crash is pending further investigation by the Beltrami County Sheriff’s Office, Minnesota state patrol and the Beltrami County Coroner’s Office.