PINE RIVER, MN (trfnews.i234.me) – The aftermath of a devastating two-vehicle, head-on collision early Sunday, May 5th, near Pine River has left a community reeling, with news of a third fatality emerging.
According to the latest report from the Minnesota State Patrol, Corey Stephen Peterson, 36, hailing from Brainerd, was identified as one of the victims who succumbed to injuries sustained in the crash. Peterson was a passenger in the Pontiac G6 involved in the collision. The other victims, identified previously, were Royal William Noe, 39, of Hillman, who was driving the Pontiac, and his passenger, Heather Faye Ceballos, 50, of Brainerd.
The tragic incident occurred around 12:38 a.m. near the intersection of 24th Street Southwest and 36th Avenue Southwest in Cass County. Kyle Daniel Jones, 32, of Bayport, was operating a 2020 Ford F150 pickup traveling west on 24th Street when it collided head-on with the eastbound 2008 Pontiac G6 driven by Noe.
Jones and a passenger, Mandy Marie Tellinghuisen, 30, also of Bayport, sustained life-threatening injuries and were transported to CHI St. Joseph’s Health in Park Rapids. The State Patrol reported that alcohol was involved in Jones’s case.
One passenger in Noe’s Pontiac, Kelly Lee Kuschel, 53, of Pine River, survived the crash but suffered life-threatening injuries and was taken to CHI St. Joseph’s Health Center.
While airbags deployed in both vehicles, it remains uncertain whether seat belts were in use at the time of the collision. Road conditions were reported to be dry.
The response to the scene involved North Memorial Health Ambulance and the Cass County Sheriff’s Department, with emergency responders working tirelessly to address the aftermath of this tragic incident.
I’m Neil Berg reporting for trfnews.i234.me