Crash that killed Jori Jones happened after their SUV failed to stop at sign, patrol says
GRACE TOWNSHIP, Minn. -- Warrants filed by the Minnesota State Patrol Thursday indicate that the crash last weekend that killed a Gustavus Adolphus College women's hockey player and injured three other teammates happened after the vehicle they were in failed to stop at a four-way stop.
The four Gustavus athletes were traveling eastbound on Highway 40 in a Chevrolet Equinox when they collided with a Dodge Caravan being driven southbound on Highway 29 west of Wilmar at about 12:40 p.m., according to the Minnesota State Patrol. Everyone involved was wearing a seat belt.
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Gustavus goaltender Jori Jones, 19, died at a hospital following the crash. Three other members of the team -- Gianna Gasparini, 19; Kayla Bluhm, 20; and Lily Mortenson, 19 -- suffered injuries that were not life-threatening, as did the driver of the Dodge Caravan. She is a 28-year-old woman from Benson.
They were together last weekend for a team bonding trip in North Dakota.
The State Patrol reached their determination about what happened after obtaining air bag control module data, saying that "data is important to the investigation of this crash in determining contributing factors such as speed, braking, engine RPMs and throttle position as well as other vehicle diagnostics."
Jones began her hockey journey in Roseville with the Roseville Area Youth Hockey Association, where her father also was a coach, the organization said.
Jones went on to join the Gustavus women's hockey team as a goalie. Head coach Mike Carroll said she was mature for her young age and fit in extremely well. She was on the team last year when they won the Division III national championship in a thrilling triple-overtime game.
"You could tell her passion to be successful and to put herself in the best place to compete with all our players to make not only yourself better, but the girls on the team," Carroll said.
A private vigil was held at the college Monday afternoon for student-athletes and their families. As the new school year begins, the team is rallying around each other as they process the difficult loss.
The team is asking people to put out hockey sticks on their front porches in honor of Jones. There's also an online fundraiser for the family.