OLMSTED COUNTY, MN — A camper top flew off a truck and crashed through the windshield of an oncoming SUV on U.S. Highway 14 in Dover Township on Wednesday evening, critically injuring a passenger, according to the Minnesota State Patrol.
The crash happened around 6:32 p.m. near 19th Avenue SE, when a camper top being towed behind a 2023 Ford F650 broke free and flew into westbound traffic, striking the windshield of a 2017 Ford Escape, the State Patrol said.
The Escape's driver, 21-year-old Kaydence Rita Plank of Lewiston, suffered non-life-threatening injuries.
But her passenger, 42-year-old Carrie Lee Elliotplank, suffered life-threatening injuries.
Both were taken to St. Mary's Hospital.
The F650's driver, 31-year-old Christopher Joseph Goetz of Saint Charles, was not injured, the State Patrol said. Alcohol was not suspected as a factor, and the road was dry at the time of the crash.
Olmsted County Sheriff's Office, Dover Fire, Eyota Fire, St. Charles Ambulance, and Mayo Clinic Helicopter responded to the scene.
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