Woman Killed in Icy Highway 169 Crash in Mille Lacs County
BY MN CRIME STAFF
A woman died Tuesday morning in a head-on crash on an icy stretch of Highway 169 in Mille Lacs County amid hazardous winter driving conditions.
The fatal collision happened around 8:51 a.m. Feb. 24 at Highway 169 and 460th Street in Kathio Township.
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The Minnesota State Patrol says the driver of a southbound Subaru Impreza lost control while navigating a light curve on a snow- and ice-covered roadway.
According to the State Patrol, the Subaru crossed into the northbound lanes and was struck broadside by a northbound Kia Sorento. Both vehicles left the roadway and came to rest on a downward slope in the east ditch.
The driver of the Subaru, Nicole Elizabeth Freeman, 50, of Garrison, was pronounced dead at the scene. Authorities said she was wearing a seat belt and alcohol was not suspected as a factor.
The driver of the Kia, a 42-year-old man of Isle, suffered non-life-threatening injuries and was transported to St. Joseph Medical Center for treatment. Investigators said he was not wearing a seat belt. Alcohol was also not suspected in his case.
Airbags deployed in the Kia but not in the Subaru, according to the crash report.
Mille Lacs County sheriff’s deputies, Mille Lacs Tribal Police, Garrison Fire, Minnesota Department of Natural Resources conservation officers and Mille Lacs Health System assisted at the scene.
The crash was one of many reported across Minnesota during the morning hours as winter weather created dangerous travel conditions. Between 5 a.m. and 11 a.m. Tuesday, the Minnesota State Patrol responded statewide to 128 property-damage crashes, 14 injury crashes and one fatal crash. Troopers also handled six spinouts, 32 vehicles that went off the road and 16 jackknifed semitrailers.
Several crashes and jackknifed semitrailers forced partial closures and major slowdowns on Interstate 94 and other Twin Cities highways Tuesday morning as freezing rain quickly coated roadways with ice during the morning commute.
Multiple vehicles are stuck on icy roads along Interstate 94 near Highway 280 in Saint Paul Tuesday morning. via MnDOT
