On Wednesday, May 12, 2021, at 3:09 p.m., the Barron County 911 Center received a call of a motorcycle crash on Hwy 53 between Chetek and New Auburn. Deputies from the Barron County Sheriff’s Department along with the Chetek Police Department, New Auburn Fire Department, Chetek and Mayo Ambulance and Life Link Helicopter all responded to the scene.
Initial investigation showed a 3-wheel motorcycle (trike) was travelling north on Hwy 53 and left the roadway causing both occupants to be ejected from the bike. The driver Richard Knoll, 63 of Rice Lake, was pronounced deceased at the scene and the passenger Lois Allen, 72 of Rice Lake, was flown to an area hospital with serious but non-life threatening injuries.
