Driver Dies After Crashing Into Stearns County Lake

Aug 8

A 23-year-old man died Thursday night after crashing his car into Horseshoe Lake in Stearns County, according to authorities.

Just after 8:30 p.m., a boater on the lake called 911 to report seeing a vehicle submerged near the bridge in the 2000 block of Edgeton Road in Munson Township, about four miles south of Richmond.

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The caller said they believed someone was still inside the vehicle.

Stearns County deputies and Cold Spring/Richmond police officers responded and entered the water, where they helped citizens remove the driver, identified as Tate William Lehnen, of Rice, from the vehicle.

Deputies began life-saving efforts before turning care over to Eden Valley Fire and Rescue and Mayo Clinic paramedics. Lehnen was pronounced dead at the scene.

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Investigators believe Lehnen was driving a 2012 Chevrolet Impala eastbound on Edgeton Road when he overcorrected on a curve, crossed into the opposite lane and drove into a steep ditch that led directly into the lake. Members of the Stearns/Benton Dive Team searched the water for any other passengers but none were found.

Lehnen’s body was taken to the Midwest Medical Examiner’s Office. The crash remains under investigation by the Stearns County Sheriff’s Office, with assistance from the Minnesota State Patrol and the Department of Natural Resources.

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