Woman riding ATV dies in northern MN after striking tree branch

MEADOWLANDS, Minn. (FOX 9) - A woman riding on an ATV in northern Minnesota was killed Saturday after hitting a tree branch.

The St. Louis County Sheriff's Office responded shortly before 8 p.m. to the incident in Meadowlands, Minnesota, about 25 miles southeast of Hibbing.

Deputies say the 38-year-old woman was a passenger in the side-by-side ATV. The ATV was on a designated trail when the woman was struck in the chest by the branch. The victim was rushed to Fairview Range Medical Center where she was pronounced dead.

Deputies are looking into the incident but say, at this point, alcohol and speed were not factors in the crash.