A Palisade man, found Wednesday early morning lying in the middle of the road on the 27000 block of Crow Wing County Road 32 in Crosby, is still in critical condition at Hennepin County Medical Center in Minneapolis.
The Crow Wing County Sheriff's Office received a call at 4:12 a.m. Wednesday of an adult male who was found lying in the middle of the road. The male was reported to be wearing snowmobile type clothing and was unresponsive. The male, identified as Brian Andrew Kokesh, 47, Palisade, was brought to Cuyuna Regional Medical Center in Crosby where he was immediately flown to Hennepin County Medical Center. A Hennepin spokesperson Friday said Kokesh continues to be in critical condition.
Deputies at the scene determined Kokesh was operating a snowmobile in the ditch off County Road 32 when he crashed into a ditch filled with water. Evidence at the scene indicates he walked out of the ditch and continued walking northbound on County Road 32 for 1 mile where it appears he collapsed on the road. He was later found by a passerby who called 911.
It was later determined that Kokesh's wife had reported him missing to Aitkin County authorities earlier Tuesday night as he was overdue from a snowmobile ride.
