Minnesota National Guard Mourns Master Sgt. David Greiner, Killed In I-35 Head-On Crash
MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) -- The Minnesota National Guard is mourning one of its own, killed Friday afternoon in a head-on crash on Interstate 35 near Hinckley.
Officials with the 148th Fighter Wing announced on Facebook Sunday that 45-year-old Master Sgt. David Thomas Greiner died in the crash, which left two others hospitalized.
The Minnesota State Patrol says an SUV driven by a 21-year-old Cambridge woman crossed the median on southbound I-35 just after 4 p.m., colliding with Greiner's SUV, which was traveling northbound. The woman was not wearing her seat belt. Her 36-year-old passenger, a man from St. Paul, was wearing his. Their current conditions are not known.
The National Guard says Greiner, from Garfield, was in the military for almost 20 years, first serving as a helicopter mechanic in the U.S. Army in 2001. He later joined the Guard, and most recently was the Roads and Ground Supervisor with the 148th Civil Engineering Squadron. He served two tours with the 148th in Afghanistan, alongside Chief Master Sgt. Doug Ion.
"Master Sgt. Greiner quietly and effectively got the job done," Ion said. "Dave was always on point whether he was working on airfield infrastructure projects or removing an A-300 Cargo aircraft from an active runway during a combat deployment."
Click here for more information on Greiner's funeral arrangements.