Morton,MN : Three die in car crash near Morton, child victim was in car seat on December, Saturday 9th 2017

Three individuals were killed, including a 1-year-old child, in a car crash at 5:10 p.m. Saturday on U.S. Highway 71 near Morton.

The incident caused the closure of Highway 71 for over an hour.


Teresa Lynn Linde, 41, of Redwood Falls; Shaunna Marie Kraft, 34, of Lakefield; and Brexlee Brian Thammalong, 1, were all killed, the Minnesota State Patrol said in its crash report. Khampong Thammalong, 27, of Lakefield, and Ryler Loren Ybarra, 7, suffered life-threatening injuries and were transported to Hennepin County Medical Center in Minneapolis and St. Paul Children’s Hospital, the crash report said.

Brexlee Thammalong was in a child's car seat, said State Patrol Sgt. Jesse Grabow, but the State Patrol is looking into whether the car seat was properly installed.

Neither Linde, Kraft nor Ybarra were wearing seatbelts, according to the State Patrol, and it is unknown if Khampong Thammalong were wearing a seatbelt.

The crash report said the 2002 Ford Windstar, driven by Linde, was traveling southbound on Highway 71, while the 2009 Mitsubishi Galant, driven by Kraft, was headed northbound on Highway 71. The Galant attempted to pass another northbound vehicle on a bridge and hit the Windstar head-on. The airbags in both the Windstar and Galant deployed. Road conditions were dry at the time and alcohol does not seem to be a factor, according to the State Patrol.

Agencies responding to the scene along with the State Patrol included the Redwood County Sheriff’s Office, Redwood Falls Police Department, Renville County Sheriff’s Office and the Minnesota Department of Transportation. The ambulance services that responded were not listed in the report.

Source :
Three die in car crash near Morton, child victim was in car seat