State Trooper Rear-Ended Near Crookston, 2 Hurt
MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) – Two people suffered non-life threatening injuries Tuesday after a Minnesota State Patrol officer was rear-ended near Crookston, according to authorities.
The State Patrol says the accident happened at about 7:51 p.m. near the area of Highway 2 and County Road 18 in Polk County in northwestern Minnesota. A state patrol squad car was going westbound on Highway 2 when it turned around in the median to pursue a speeding vehicle.
After turning to head eastbound, the squad car was rear-ended by a 2012 Mazda 3, which then left the road and rolled over. The drivers of both vehicles were taken to the hospital with non-life threatening injuries, authorities said. The State Patrol says the driver of the squad car was 47-year-old Dean Smith of Thief River Falls.
Authorities said the accident is still under investigation by the State Patrol, Crookston Police and the Polk County Sheriff's Office.
