Executive Summary
- A fatal collision involving a car and a semi-truck occurred at the I-90 and Highway 42 interchange near Eyota, Minnesota.
- A 34-year-old female passenger from La Crosse, Wisconsin, was pronounced dead as a result of the crash.
- The driver of the passenger vehicle, Johnathan Curtis Gerow, was hospitalized with non-life-threatening injuries.
- The Minnesota State Patrol confirmed that alcohol was not involved and seatbelts were in use.
A 34-year-old woman from Wisconsin was killed Friday afternoon following a collision between a passenger vehicle and a semi-truck at an interchange in Olmsted County, Minnesota, according to the Minnesota State Patrol.
The fatal incident occurred at approximately 1:45 p.m. at the intersection of Interstate 90 and Highway 42/Olmsted County Road 7, located south of Eyota. Investigators reported that the passenger vehicle had exited eastbound I-90 and reached the top of the ramp before entering the intersection, where it collided with a northbound semi-truck.
According to the state crash report, the deceased victim was a passenger in the car. Authorities identified her as a 34-year-old resident of La Crosse, Wisconsin, noting that her name would be released pending family notification. The driver of the car, identified as 41-year-old Johnathan Curtis Gerow of Hayward, Wisconsin, sustained non-life-threatening injuries and was transported to St. Mary’s Hospital in Rochester for treatment.
The driver of the semi-truck, identified as 37-year-old Daniel John Kalwasinski of Rochester, was uninjured in the crash. The Minnesota State Patrol indicated that both drivers were wearing seatbelts at the time of the collision and that alcohol was not a contributing factor. The Olmsted County Sheriff’s Office, Mayo Clinic Ambulance, Eyota Ambulance, and the Minnesota Department of Transportation also responded to the scene.
Investigative Outlook
The Minnesota State Patrol is leading the ongoing investigation into the collision to determine the precise cause of the crash. With alcohol ruled out as a factor, investigators are expected to examine right-of-way adherence and visibility conditions at the ramp intersection. Such inquiries are standard procedure to assess whether engineering factors or driver error contributed to the fatality and to determine if any further safety recommendations for the interchange are necessary.