Former Burnsville Resident Killed in Motorcycle Accident

Denise Marie Sames, a former Burnsville resident, died after becoming injured in an accident on County Road 9 in Jordan.

Sames, 49, was traveling on her Yamaha motorcyle the morning of July 11 when a 2006 Lincoln Navigator, driven by a Shakopee resident, turned in front of Sames, striking the front of her motorcycle, according to a Minnesota State Patrol report.

She was airlifted to the Hennepin County Medical Center, where she died. The driver of the SUV, Shakopee resident Henry A. Mendez, 35, was not injured.

One of her co-workers left a message on her obituary, describing her as “one of the most compassionate, loving people I have had the pleasure to know.”

Although her most recent residence was in Glencoe, Sames lived in Burnsville and Marlboro, New York for most of her life, according to her obituary. She worked as a physical therapist at Prairie River Home Care.

Sames leaves behind three daughters, a grandchild and several other relatives.