Five people are dead after a head-on collision between an SUV and a transit van carrying 13 members of the same family in southwestern Minnesota.
The crash happened around 4:45 p.m. Friday, March 20, on Highway 71 near 240th Street in Germantown Township, about 17 miles north of Windom, according to the Minnesota State Patrol.
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The driver of a 2016 GMC Terrain SUV was traveling northbound on Highway 71 and collided head-on with a southbound 2019 Ford Transit Van. The SUV driver, Martin Nickolas Hanson, 67, of Springfield, was killed. Four people in the van also died.
The Patrol said it is investigating which driver may have crossed into the opposing lane and road conditions were dry at the time of the crash.
The four van passengers killed were Richard Warren Johnson, 73, and Kathleen Ann Johnson, 73, both of Jackson, along with Kelly Christine Hargus, 49, of Jackson and Lindsey Kay Rossow, 47, of Lakefield.
A family member told the Star Tribune newspaper that most, if not all, of the van's 13 occupants were members of the same family and the group had been celebrating a birthday. The four who died in the van were identified by the family member as a man whose 74th birthday was being celebrated, his wife and two of their daughters. Two other daughters survived their injuries.
Two van passengers suffered life-threatening injuries. Kassandra Lynn Ambrose, 44, of Jackson was transported to Redwood Falls Hospital. Eric Charles Rossow, 54, of Lakefield was flown to Sanford Medical Center in Sioux Falls.
Six others in the van suffered non-life-threatening injuries: Nolan Eric Ambrose, 19, of Jackson, Andria Elizabeth Benson, 20, of Jackson, Kristin Kathleen Hanson, 44, of Jackson, Brett Eric Rossow, 20, of Jackson, Karlee Kristine Rossow, 23, of Lakefield and Keylee Kathleen Rossow, 25, of Lakefield. They were transported to hospitals in Redwood Falls and Windom.
The van's driver was identified as Matthew Arthur Schultz, 42, from Lakefield. He had non-life-threatening injuries and was wearing a seat belt.
A witness told the Star Tribune he was driving in the same direction as the van with a semi between them when the collision occurred. He said the crash happened at the top of a hill and that the van's driver may not have had time to react. The witness, the semi driver and two bystanders pulled over and began tending to the victims.
Our Savior's Lutheran Church scheduled a public vigil for Saturday night, saying most of the people involved in the crash have connections to the county and the church.
Responding agencies included the Cottonwood County Sheriff's Office, Redwood County Sheriff's Office, Sanborn Fire Department, Windom Ambulance, Lamberton Ambulance, Westbrook Ambulance, Springfield Ambulance and North Air Care.
