1 Killed, 4 Injured in Separate Freeway Crashes in Stearns County
One person was killed, with four others injured in separate freeway crashes within miles of each other on I-94 in Stearns County Wednesday morning.
The State Patrol reports that shortly after 8 AM, a semi tractor-trailer was westbound on I-94 at Milepost 144 in Albany Township when it veered off the roadway to the left and crossed the median crashing into a straight truck and an SUV.
Killed in that crash was the driver of the semi, 59-year-old Brian Lemley of Sibley, North Dakota.
The driver of the straight truck, 26-year-old Eric Bueckers of New Munich, and the driver of the SUV, 44-year-old Tricia Shoutz of Sauk Centre, both had non-life threatening injuries that did not require hospital treatment.
UPDATE: Freeport Woman Airlifted Following Crash on I-94
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The crash happened just after 9:00 a.m. on eastbound I-94 near milepost 140.
The Minnesota State Patrol says a Kenworth straight truck, driven by 26-year-old Mert Gokce of Burnsville, was traveling eastbound on I-94 slowing to a stop during a traffic back up when he was rear-ended by the GMC Yukon near milepost 140.
Gokce suffered non-life threatening injuries.
The driver of the second vehicle, 38-year-old Kelli Goebel, was airlifted to St. Cloud hospital for life threatening injuries.