According to The Bozeman Daily Chronicle, the accident happened shortly after 4:00 p.m. Wednesday. The motorcycle was northbound when it drifted off the right side of the road and over an embankment [image-nocss] at mile marker 21.4, north of Bridger Bowl ski area, Montana Highway Patrol trooper Erick Fetterhoff told the newspaper. "The motorcycle went off the road and struck a few rocks."
Erickson was transported to Bozeman Deaconess Hospital where he was pronounced dead, the report said.
Both were wearing helmets. Fetterhoff said alcohol and speed were not factors in the accident.
The tragedy is the second to strike the family in just over a year. On March 24, 2009, Eickson's parents, Claire and Betty Lou Erickson, were involved in a murder-suicide in the couple's Hudson home, the Star Gazette said. (Click here for previous coverage.)
Erickson is survived by two sisters, Mimi (Jim) Kron of Hudson and Kristi (Michael) Kampmeyer of the Twin Cities. Another sister Nancy (1951-1974) died in an auto accident in Colorado Oct. 23, 1974. He also has three children, Ashley, Bradley and Grady.
The late Herman Erickson (David Erickson's grandfather) was involved in the grocery business when he moved to Hudson in 1939, said the report. In 1950, the company diversified into the gasoline business with the first store in Red Wing, Minn. Herman, Claire and brothers Dean and Eugene continued in the retail grocery and gasoline business until 1981.
In 1981, the company divided and Claire and his family became solely involved in the retail gasoline business, Erickson Oil Products, dba Freedom Valu Centers.The company currently has 65 Freedom Valu stores in Wisconsin, Minnesota, South Dakota and Michigan.
After Claire's death last year, David assumed full control of the Erickson Oil operation, said the report. A company spokesperson told the paper that a plan is in place for the company to continue forward.
"Our thoughts and prayers go out to Debi and their family," said Sherry Jerry, executive assistant. "Our focus is on supporting the Erickson family during this difficult time.""He was involved in his community, he cared for his family deeply, and he cared for his company and the people here," Gary Vander Vorst, Erickson Oil executive vice president and CFO, told The Pioneer Press. "He was a good man. Our thoughts and prayers go out to Debi and their family. Our focus is on supporting the Erickson family during this difficult time.
He added, "Although David's death is untimely and tragic, the Erickson family has planned for successive leadership and has a strong team of experienced professionals in place to move this company through today and into the future."
Lakeland Mayor Brian Zeller, who knew Erickson for more than 25 years, said, "The word I would use to describe Dave is 'honorable'," he told the paper. "He was an honorable businessman. That's kind of a word that he taught me. One of the first things he'd ask me after he'd meet someone new is, 'Are they honorable?'."
Friend and colleague Darren Forbes told KSTP-TV: "David will be incredibly missed in the community. He was a very kind, big-hearted person."Funeral arranges are pending. CSP sends condolences to his family, his friends and his colleagues.
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