UPDATED: Cloquet biker who rescued eagle injured in motorcycle accident

• Brian Baladez

The bald eagle Brian Baladez of Cloquet found near Wascott was rehabilitated at the University of Minnesota. (Submitted photo)

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The Cloquet motorcyclist who rescued a bald eagle last summer was in critical condition at St. Mary’s Medical Center on Wednesday after a motorcycle accident Tuesday evening.

Brian A. Baladez, 47, was southbound exiting Interstate 35 onto state Highway 45 in Carlton County at 5:49 p.m. Tuesday when he struck the dirt shoulder and oversteered, throwing his Harley Davidson into a skid on its side, according to the Minnesota State Highway Patrol.

Karl Nelson, 25, of Superior came across the accident shortly after it occurred. Nelson, who is a medic with the Minnesota National Guard, said Baladez was lying by the side of the road and not responsive when he arrived. An off-duty Cloquet police officer was already at the scene, and a nurse from St. Mary’s Medical Center arrived shortly after. Nelson, who is on leave from Afghanistan, took Baladez’s vital signs and waited with him until paramedics arrived.

In August, Baladez captured an injured eagle near Wascott, Wis., in his leather jacket, and then strapped the bird to his motorcycle with bungee cords. The bird, nicknamed Harley, was treated at the University of Minnesota Raptor Center. After Harley recovered, Baladez was given the opportunity to release him on Jan. 30 in the St. Croix River Valley.

– Duluth News Tribune

Tags: fire, carlton, county, cloquet