Sacred Heart — A rural Sacred Heart man and a four-year-old family member were involved in an ATV accident Sunday morning, according to the Renville County Sheriff’s Office. At approximately 10:51 Sunday morning, dispatch received a report of an ATV crash at a residence in the 79-thousand block of County Road 9, about four miles south of Sacred Heart.

When emergency responders arrived, they found a juvenile male with a deep laceration to his abdomen and an adult male with minor injuries. The boy was flown by LifeLink III helicopter from the scene to Children’s Hospital in the Twin Cities with what are believed to be non-life-threatening injuries. The adult male, identified as 40-year-old Rodney Garberich of rural Sacred Heart sustained minor injuries and was cleared by ambulance staff at the scene.

Preliminary investigation revealed that Garberich and the juvenile boy were cleaning trees and branches along a path in their grove. The juvenile was sitting on the ATV when Garberich mounted the ATV and the juvenile accidentally hit the throttle causing the ATV to accelerate into a nearby tree. The impact forced the ATV onto its side and ejected both occupants. The investigation by the Renville County Sheriff’s Office is ongoing.

Assistance was provided by the Sacred Heart MRU, Granite Falls Ambulance Service, Sacred Heart Fire Department, and LifeLink III Medical Fights.