Mack Motzko, the 20-year-old son of Gophers men's hockey coach Bob Motzko, died of injuries suffered in a car crash Saturday night in Orono that also killed another passenger.
"We are devastated for Bob, Shelley, their family and all involved," athletic director Mark Coyle said in a statement released by the University of Minnesota on Sunday. "This is an unimaginable tragedy, and we will do everything we can to support those affected. We ask for privacy for the families as they mourn the loss of loved ones."
Sunday night, Bob Motzko posted a message on Twitter: "Our hearts are shattered by the loss of our Mack. No bigger heart or young man loved than this kid. Thanks to all who have reached out. He is my hero!"
Orono police shared few details of the crash, which is under investigation by the Minnesota State Patrol. Police said in a news release Sunday that "alcohol and speed appear to be contributing factors."
The Long Lake Fire Department and Orono police responded to single-vehicle crash at 11:23 p.m. Saturday near 3120 North Shore Drive. "The vehicle was traveling at a high rate of speed and left the roadway. The vehicle struck several trees," the release said.
A 51-year-old man who was driving and Motzko, who was in the back seat, were taken to North Memorial Health Hospital, where Motzko later died. The driver suffered critical injuries. A 24-year-old man in the front passenger seat died at the scene. The identities of the other two men were not immediately released.
On Sunday afternoon, a neighbor placed a bouquet of hydrangeas in the branches of an uprooted, mangled tree that the car struck. She said law enforcement was on the scene, which is across the street from her home, until 4 a.m. Sunday.
Later that morning, family members of the victims arrived at the site, where officials had reconstructed the crash. Along the eastbound shoulder, yellow paint marked a stretch of about 21 feet from the point where the vehicle left the road until it crashed into the trees at the end of a driveway. Tire marks were shown on the grass, at one point crossing over a storm water manhole just a few feet from crash site.
