Juvenile sustains serious injuries in Renville County ATV accident Sunday

Two people, one of them a four year old, were injured in an ATV crash in Renville County Sunday morning.

On Sunday, May 21, at about 10:51 a.m., the  Renville County Sheriff’s Office received a report of an ATV crash at a residence near County Road 9, four miles south of Sacred Heart.

Preliminary investigation revealed Rodney A. Garberich, age 40, of rural  Sacred Heart, along with a four-year-old family member, was cleaning trees and  branches along a path in a nearby grove. The juvenile was reportedly sitting on  an ATV near the location.

At some point, Garberich mounted the ATV with the juvenile when the juvenile accidentally hit the throttle, causing the ATV to  accelerate forward. The ATV hit a nearby tree and rolled onto its side, throwing both riders onto the ground. The juvenile sustained a deep laceration to  the abdomen and was flown from the scene to Children’s Hospital in the Twin  Cities with what are believed to be non-life-threatening injuries. Garberich  received minor injuries and was cleared by ambulance staff at the scene.

Agencies assisting on the scene were the Sacred Heart MRU, Granite Falls  Ambulance Service, Sacred Heart Fire Department and LifeLink III helicopter.

The Renville County Sheriff’s Office is investigating the crash.