A tragic incident occurred in Lake Elmo this past Saturday night when a 5-year-old girl, who has been identified as Morgan Rae Peterson, succumbed to her injuries following a car crash on Highway 36. FOX 9 reports that the young girl and a 10-year-old boy were passengers in a car that stalled in the eastbound left lane at the intersection with Lake Elmo Avenue. An SUV, driven by a 47-year-old St. Paul man, crashed into the car at high speed.
Tragically loved by her family, Morgan Rae Peterson was described as “the brightest light in every room” and “one of a kind,” as shared through a GoFundMe campaign. Created to support them during this difficult time, it revealed she sustained injuries that included a broken neck and serious brain trauma, which were identified as not survivable. The driver of the stalled vehicle, a 43-year-old man also from St. Paul, and the 10-year-old boy were reported to have non-life-threatening injuries, although, noted by the Minnesota State Patrol, they were not wearing seatbelts at the time of the crash.
Authorities informed that the girl was properly restrained by a seatbelt. However, it remains unclear whether alcohol played a role in the accident involving the driver of the Pathfinder, the SUV that collided with the stalled car, though he was reported to be wearing a seatbelt and sustained injuries not considered life-threatening. The Minnesota State Patrol pointed out that the collision occurred at highway speeds, indicating the severe impact of the crash.
Adding to the family's heartbreaking narrative, they are beset by not just the news of a bright life cut tragically short, but also the abrupt financial burden arising from such an unforeseeable tragedy. The road was dry at the time of the crash, according to KSTP. Investigators have been working to reconstruct the accident after state troopers blocked the intersection on Saturday night, following the collision around 8:50 p.m. This is a developing story and updates will be provided as more information is made available.
