UPDATE: 2 killed in Hwy 19 crash involving semi; victims identified
[KSTP-TV]
UPDATE:
Two people were killed in crash Monday morning on Highway 19 in Rice County.
The crash happened at about 7:33 a.m. near Baldwin Avenue in Greenvale Township.
According to the Minnesota State Patrol, a semi was westbound on Highway 19 when it collided head-on with a 2010 Hyundai Sonata, sending the semi into the north ditch and the Hyundai into the south ditch.
The drivers of both the semi and the Hyundai died.
A truck also made contact with the Hyundai but nobody in the truck was injured.
Subsequently, the highway was closed between Northfield and Interstate 35. It has since reopened.
UPDATE: Hwy 19 has reopened after crash earlier this morning between Northfield and I-35. Watch for first responders who remain at the scene. https://t.co/gjZi8tLz6T
— MnDOT District 6 (@mndotsoutheast) October 19, 2020
A State Patrol crash report identified the driver of the Hyundai as 28-year-old Bobak Barjasteh, of Northfield, and the driver of the semi as 59-year-old Richard Lester Banidt, of Goodhue.
The crash remains under investigation.
An earlier version of this report appears below.
The Minnesota State Patrol is investigating a fatal crash that occurred along Highway 19 in Dakota County Monday morning.
According to the State Patrol, the crash happened at about 7:33 a.m. near Baldwin Avenue in Greenvale Township.
As a result, the Minnesota Department of Transportation reported Highway 19 was closed between Northfield and Interstate 35.
The closure was expected to last "for several hours," MnDOT reported, and detours were in place.
TRAFFIC ALERT: Hwy 19 is closed between Northfield and I-35. State Patrol reports it’s investigating a fatal crash. Detours are on county roads. Highway likely to be closed for several hours.
— MnDOT District 6 (@mndotsoutheast) October 19, 2020
Information on the cause of the crash has not yet been released.