Quick Facts:
Where: The accident occurred on Highway 52 near Oronoco, Minnesota.
What Happened: Three tractor-trailers and three passenger vehicles collided in a chain-reaction accident.
Participants:
- Driver of tractor-trailer
- Driver of second tractor-trailer
- Driver of third tractor-trailer
- Debra J. Bieber, driver of Honda Accord
- Bonita K. Sawyer, passenger in Honda Accord
- Driver of Cadillac CTS
- Driver of Honda Pilot
- Two passengers in Honda Pilot
Reported Injuries/Fatalities:
- Bonita K. Sawyer, 65, killed
- Debra J. Bieber, 67, injured
- Driver of second tractor-trailer, injured
- Two passengers in Honda Pilot, injured
Details:
On or about Wednesday, December 15th, 2021, around 9:14 in the morning, a major tractor-trailer accident left one person dead and sent several other individuals to the hospital. Troopers from the MSP said the accident was reported along Highway 52 just outside Oronoco, Minnesota.
Spokespeople from the Minnesota State Patrol said 65-year-old Bonita K. Sawyer was killed, while 67-year-old Debra J. Bieber and three other people were injured when three tractor-trailers and three passenger vehicles collided in a chain-reaction accident along Highway 52. Paramedics pronounced Sawyer dead a short time after the collision, while Bieber, one of the truck drivers, and two passengers in one of the cars were taken to the hospital with unspecified injuries.
According to Google Maps, the scene of the accident is about 76 miles southeast of downtown Minneapolis.
Authorities are still working to pin down exactly what started the accident.