Dalton, MN : Two brothers killed in Semi rollover crash in Interstate 94 Minnesota on Monday November 30 2015

A veering semi likely caused the June crash that killed two teenage Moorhead brothers on their way to a basketball tournament, the Minnesota State Patrol has determined, but efforts to find the semi continue to bear no fruit.
Part of the problem is that witnesses to the June 23 rollover crash that killed Zachary and Connor Kvalvog have different memories of what the semi looked like -- and some do not remember a semi at all -- according to the State Patrol's report released Monday.
Dustin and Lisa Thorson were both in a car right behind the Kvalvogs' truck when it crashed on eastbound Interstate 94 at mile marker 68 near Fergus Falls, yet the Thorsons' recollections differ.
Dustin Thorson does not remember seeing a semi, but he saw a truck in the left lane -- driven by Zachary Kvalvog, and carrying his brother Connor and two Moorhead Park Christian School classmates to a basketball tournament in Wisconsin -- roll and crash into the median.
Lisa Thorson, by contrast, distinctly remembers seeing a semi in the right lane, but not the crash.
Two witnesses traveling in the same vehicle, same visual observation point, and two different recollections," State Patrol investigator Sgt. Rod Eischens wrote in his report.
The report concludes that the semi's encroachment likely "initiated the tragic chain of events" in which Zachary Kvalvog steered left to avoid a collision, overcorrected, and in doing so, lost control and crashed.
The semi allegedly involved has been described, depending on the witness, as turquoise, blue, red and green.
With that limited information, the State Patrol looked through more than an hour's worth of video from the nearby Red River Weigh Station for clues. But the agency could not pick out the semi among "the many trucks that passed through."
The agency also reached out, without luck, to 11 trucking companies and the Minnesota Trucking Association.
Ray Kvalvog, father of the Kvalvog boys, calls it the "mystery semi."
In an interview, he said he has obtained dashcam video from a "trooper coming from Alexandria south to north" that contains images that could help locate the semi.
Asked if he believed he had a picture of the semi in question, Kvalvog said, "We have some suspicions."
He said he is offering a $50,000 reward for information leading to the semi or its driver. The money would go to the semi driver if that person wants to come forward.
It's no witch hunt," Kvalvog said of the effort to find the semi driver. "I believe it's an accident, at the end of the day, but I just want some closure. What in the world happened? ... Did (the semi driver) spill his coffee? Did he get cut off by someone in front of him? You just want to know."
Kvalvog has not ruled out mechanical failure as another possible cause of the crash, though the State Patrol's report says it does not appear to be a factor.
Kvalvog said the 2010 Dodge Ram truck his son was driving would have been part of a July steering defect recall of thousands of Fiat Chrysler cars.
But the State Patrol report disagrees, on the basis that recall-related work was performed on the truck at a shop in Ada, Minn., in October 2014. A post-crash visual inspection of the truck did not turn up "any signs of unusual wear, breaks or cracks in either tie rod or any other steering components," the report states.
Kvalvog said he is sure his truck qualified for this summer's recall, regardless of repairs that were done as part of last year's recall.
I called Chrysler myself, as did an attorney, and the parts aren't even available yet for the second recall," he said.
Kvalvog said a more thorough mechanical analysis will be undertaken by three parties: Chrysler Fiat, his insurance company and his own team.
A petition filed by Kvalvog last week in Clay County District Court tried unsuccessfully to delay the report's release, in part because, the petition said, the State Patrol's mechanical analysis of the wrecked truck was not thorough enough.
The report rules out other possible factors in the crash: alcohol, drugs, road conditions, speed and phone use.
He had a perfect driving record," Kvalvog said of his son Zachary. "It's a little bit of a relief that we know that somehow, someway, there's an external force in this case. ... It's a little consoling, especially for my wife, to know that. Because you don't just drive on a beautiful day and drive off the road."
Joining the Kvalvog boys in the truck were fellow basketball players Mark Schwandt and Jimmy Morton, who both recalled seeing the semi on their right as Zachary Kvalvog attempted to pass it, according to the State Patrol report.
Schwandt was sitting in the front passenger seat, taking a nap, when he woke up right before the crash. All he heard was Zachary Kvalvog say, "Geez," as if surprised by something.
Morton, who sat behind Schwandt, watched the semi veer into their lane, "closer and closer."
I knew he was going to hit us and I didn't even have time to say, 'Zach there is a semi coming towards us.' "
As soon as (Zachary Kvalvog) looked right and saw it, he panicked and just went left; swerved left," Morton told the State Patrol.
The crash tore off the truck's roof and caused Connor Kvalvog and Morton to be ejected from the vehicle. They were not wearing seat belts; Zachary and Schwandt were, the report states.
Schwandt and Morton were injured. Though they both recalled seeing the semi, neither remembered hearing or feeling the rumble strips on the edge of the road, which Zachary Kvalvog drove over.
It was another example of how "those involved with critical events such as this crash, do not always see or recollect every detail as they may have occurred," the report states.
Similarly, two employees of nearby store Dalton Sports, who were standing outside at the time of the crash, reported seeing different things. Bill Schroeder saw the semi and gave a partial description, while his co-worker, Curtis Smith, "has no recollection of a semi being in the area," the report states.

Source:
State Patrol: Semi caused crash that killed 2 teen brothers