Mayor Kautz, who hosted Cancer Awareness Event - Accident

[Donna G]

The mayor of Burnsville who you can see here on this site in pictures of the Cancer Awareness Event just got out of the hospital today. In an accident she broke ribs and got a collapsed lung. Bet she learned what chest tubes are all about. She was helping in this event to raise money for a good cause. Here is the story.

(WCCO) Burnsville, Minn. A Saturday fundraiser sent the mayor of Burnsville, Minn. to the hospital.

Mayor Elizabeth Kautz was in satisfactory condition at the Hennepin County Medical Center after participating in a mattress race at Buck Hill in Burnsville.

Kautz and the mayor of Bloomington, Minn., were racing in the first race of the day, but apparently the race began before the organizers were ready.

Don McClure, Buck Hill General Manager said, "The race wasn't ready to begin, but the mattresses came down for whatever reason."

During the race, the mayor's mattress ran into the back of an all-terrain vehicle. Kautz hit the vehicle straight on.

The ski patrol evaluated her and she was taken to the HCMC by ambulance.

McClure, "From what I understand it's bumps and bruises. I don't have any other information at this point."

The races continued after the accident. The event raised more than $83,000 for Bridging, an organization that helps people in transition set up a household.

Fran Heitzman from Bridging said, "We're going to buy beds, because tonight, 5,000 little kids are sleeping on the floor and that's not right in this country.

Forty-eight teams participated in the races. Event coordinators said in the eights years of the event, the accident was the first.

Donna G

PS Here in Mn. 3 years we have worked with the mayor at her Cancer Awareness event, and had tables to get our cancer, lung cancer info out there and also offer support to those afflicted.