Backus boy, 16, killed in ATV crash

BACKUS - A 16-year-old Backus boy was killed Sunday after an all-terrain vehicle he was operating on a gravel road near Backus overturned and threw him from the vehicle, Cass County Sheriff Randy Fisher said.

The victim, Derek W. Engelke, was thrown from the ATV. He pronounced dead at the scene, Fisher said.

Derek's younger brother, Dustin, was a passenger on the vehicle. Dustin suffered minor injuries and was treated at St. Joseph's Medical Center in Brainerd and released.

Fisher said the ATV crash was a tragic event.

The crash happened about 4:20 p.m. on 96th Avenue in McKinley Township, located at the border of Cass and Wadena counties.

The cause of the crash is under investigation and an autopsy is scheduled.