Patrol: 2 Dead, 1 Hurt After Semi Rear-Ends Taxi In St. Cloud
MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) – Officials say two people died and another was seriously injured Saturday after a semi rear-end at taxi van that was stopped at a St. Cloud intersection.
The crash happened around 7:20 a.m. on Highway 10 on the city's east side, State Patrol said.
The taxi was headed south on the highway when it stopped for a red light on Germain Street. The semi slammed into the tax from behind, killing the taxi driver, 66-year-old Thomas Leroy Findlay of Sartell, and one passenger, 22-year-old Emily Letourneau of Big Lake.
Findlay (pictured below) was wearing a seat belt; Letourneau was not, the State Patrol reports.
The other passenger in the taxi, 24-year-old Marche Price of New Hope, suffered life-threatening injuries, the State Patrol said. Emergency crews brought Price to St. Cloud Hospital for treatment. She was not wearing a seat belt.
The driver of the semi, 61-year-old James Cockram of Owatonna, was not hurt. The State Patrol says alcohol doesn't appear to have been a factor in the crash, which remains under investigation.
At the time of the crash, road conditions were dry, the State Patrol said.