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Patrol: 3 College Students Dead, 2 Injured After Semi And SUV Collide

MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) -- Three college students died and two others were injured Friday afternoon south of the Twin Cities metro when an SUV spun out on icy roads and collided with a semi.

The crash happened near the intersection of Highway 3 and County Road 47 near Northfield, Minn., just before 3 p.m., according to a State Patrol crash report.

Six people were involved in the collision, which happened when a Toyota 4Runner going north on Highway 3 spun out into the southbound lane and got broadsided by a semi.

Those killed in the crash were all in the 4Runner, and the State Patrol identified them as: 20-year-old James Adams of St. Paul, Minn.; 21-year-old Paxton Harvieux of Stillwater, Minn.; and 20-year-old Michael Goodgame of Westport, Conn.

Two others in the 4Runner suffered serious injuries. They were identified as 20-year-old William Sparks of Evanson, Ill., and 19-year-old Conor Eckert, of Seattle, Wash.

Sparks was driving the 4Runner.

Carleton College released a statement Friday evening saying those injured and killed in the crash were all its students. Most were in the class of 2015, except Eckert, who was in the class of 2017.

The college said the crash happened less than three miles from campus and that those injured were in stable condition and receiving hospital care.

"Right now, we need to focus all our love and compassion on supporting the families and friends of all these young men, along with everyone in our community who cares for them," said school President Steven G. Poskanzer in a statement.

Counselling services will be available for the students, the school said.

While it's not yet clear to what extent weather conditions played a role in the crash, officials did describe road conditions as icy. Also on Friday, snow played a factor in a multi-vehicle crash that snagged up traffic on Interstate 35 just miles north of where this fatal crash occurred. Authorities said everyone was wearing their seat belt and alcohol does not appear to have been a factor in the crash.

The semi driver was identified as Danny Terry, of Pioneer, Tenn., and he suffered no apparent injuries.

The State Patrol is still investigating the crash.

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