'Everyone Was Jumbled Around': Victims In Cottage Grove Limo Crash Speak
MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) -- It was supposed to be a night of staged horror on a Twin Cities haunted limo tour, but a group of friends experienced something truly frightening.
At the intersection of Highway 61 and Kingsborough Trail in Cottage Grove Friday, two separate cars collided with the group's limousine, sending several people to the hospital.
Jeremy Franklund was in the limo, and only needs to lift his pant leg to show a deep cut on his shin.
"I'm really sore, just kind of laying low," Franklund said.
Franklund and his friend, Mathew Hartley, were among the 10 people taking a limousine to a haunted tour in Cottage Grove.
"As we were pulling in, our limo got hung up on the roadway," Hartley said..
The stretch limo bottomed out on hill at the entrance. The back half of the limo was stuck in oncoming traffic of Highway 61 and there was no time to move before a car crashed into them.
"I remember saying, 'this is all bad, this is all bad.' I look and, yeah, everyone was jumbled around and laying around," Franklund said.
Before the passengers could get out of the limo, another vehicle was right behind and unable to avoid the accident ahead.
"All of the sudden, I look up see another car coming. I see the headlights and I'm like,' oh my God, here we go again,'" Franklund said.
Jeremy and another friend, Hannah Lindholm, were sitting across from where the second car hit. Both were taken to the hospital.
"When the car hit, the bar came in and hit my leg and Hannah got thrown forward into it," Franklund said.
Lindholm was the most seriously injured, suffering a huge gash on her forehead and swollen eyes. She was released from the hospital on Sunday.
"There was just blood everywhere," Hartley said.
The group never made it to the haunted tour, but, for Jeremy and Matt, the real life scare was more than enough.
"It was super scary, but in hindsight, we're all safe, alive and here to talk about it," Franklund said.
The drivers of the other two vehicles weren't seriously hurt. Alcohol or bad weather is not believed to be factors in this crash.
