Vacationing father crushed by runaway trailer on Minnetrista driveway

An Austin man who died in an accident with a boat Sunday night will be dearly missed by his family and friends.

“We can’t imagine life without him,” said daughter Brooke Jordan. “Having to face that reality today is something we weren’t prepared for.”

Roger E. Erickson, 58, was crushed around 8:30 p.m. when a runaway boat and trailer rolled down a driveway in Minnetrista, Minn., where he was on vacation. His son, Alex, and another daughter, Katie, were present when the accident happened. Alex tried to help Erickson while Katie called 911.

“My brother tried to resuscitate him for 20 minutes,” Jordan said. She arrived after the accident and said authorities from several nearby departments responded to help.

Police said Minnetrista’s fire department was there, as well as crews from Mound and St. Bonifacius.

Jordan said other residents came out to assist, too, whom Jordan called “many, many good Samaritans.”

“Roger was connected to the community,” Jordan said. The family was grateful for the support they had seen from friends and neighbors.

“My father was just the most kind and wonderful person,” she said. “That he would have to experience anything like he did … was a travesty and so very wrong.”

Erickson was pronounced dead at the scene. The Hennepin County Medical Examiner’s Office is investigating.

McClatchy Information Service contributed to this report