St. Augusta, MN : Motorcyclist dead after being thrown from the bike while fleeing from law enforcement in Stearns County on Thursday, June 18, 2015

A motorcyclist died Thursday evening after crashing while being chased by Stearns County law enforcement.

The Minnesota State Patrol identified the motorcycle driver as Jeffrey T. Wiener, 53, of Rockville.

Officers were pursuing Wiener's motorcycle for a traffic violation about 9:30 p.m. north on Stearns County Road 75 when it went off the road at the intersection of Stearns County Road 7, according to a report from the Minnesota State Patrol. Wiener was thrown from the motorcycle and pronounced dead.

Thursday's death was the latest in a string of deadly motorcycle crashes.

Twenty-five motorcycle riders have died on Minnesota roads so far in 2015, which is 56 percent more than this time last year when there were 16 fatalities, according to the Minnesota State Patrol.

There have been 158 traffic fatalities so far this year in Minnesota, and nearly 16 percent were motorcycle riders.

Of the 22 riders killed whose helmet use was known, 14 were not wearing a helmet. Wiener was not wearing a helmet, according to the State Patrol report.

Rider error was a contributing factor in many of the crashes, according to the State Patrol. Riders were turning a curve when 11 of the deadly crashes happened. A second vehicle failing to yield was a factor in three of the crashes.

State Patrol officials are asking motorcyclists to take precaution and motorists to look twice for motorcycles.

Source :
Motorcycle driver who died in crash ID'd