Updated: Bicyclist struck, injured on Highway 45

A bicyclist was struck on Highway 45 early Tuesday morning.

According to a Minnesota State Patrol report, the driver of a Ford Focus was traveling southbound on Highway 45 and struck the cyclist in the roadway about one mile south of Interstate 35 at approximately 4:44 a.m. Tuesday.

The cyclist, 34-year-old Michael Lawrence Benson of Wrenshall, was transported with non-life threatening injuries to Essentia Health in Duluth, according to the MSP incident report. He was not wearing a helmet.

The driver of the Focus, Wrenshall’s 60-year-old Daryl Lloyd Bong, also had non-life threatening injuries and was taken to Community Memorial Hospital in Cloquet. The MSP report said alcohol was not a factor for Bong.

Conditions were dry but it was still dark at the time of the accident. Cloquet police and Carlton County Sheriff’s Office deputies also responded. Highway 45 was shut down for hours following the early morning crash.