Misha Nelson, 24, of Grand Marais was injured in a crash on Devil Track Road in Grand Marais on Wednesday, October 10. The cause of the crash was icy road conditions.
Nelson, driving a 1992 Ford Ranger on South Shore Drive, attempted—but was unable—to stop at the stop sign at the entrance to Devil Track Road. The pickup she was driving slid onto the roadway into the path of a 2001 Sterling semi truck and trailer driven by David Berg, 58, of Cohasset, Minnesota.
The loaded semi hit the pickup on the left side, T-boning the smaller vehicle. Following the semi truck were Whitney, Isabelle and Riley Wahlers, who were on their way to school. They witnessed the crash and Whitney made the 911call at approximately 7:41 a.m. Isabelle Wahlers approached the crash cautiously. She found a blanket and wrapped it around Nelson and held pressure on her head injury. She stayed there and talked to Nelson until emergency responders arrived.
Cook County Ambulance transported Nelson to Cook County North Shore Hospital. She suffered a non-life-threatening head injury and a broken collarbone. A male passenger in the pickup did not suffer any injury. They were both wearing their seatbelts.
The semi, owned by Deer River Trucking Co. of Deer River, MN, received a Minnesota Department of Transportation post-crash inspection. It was taken out of service due to a broken frame, however State Trooper Leah Carpenter said that was not related to the crash. She said nothing on the vehicle or anything the truck driver did caused the collision.
An investigation is pending, however, State Trooper Aaron Schmidt said it appears the truck was going slow because of the icy conditions. If the truck had been traveling at full speed the accident would have been much worse.
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