A 30-year-old man from Rice died Thursday night after his Jeep left Highway 23 near Sauk Rapids and slammed into a tree, according to Minnesota State Patrol reporting. The crash happened at about 8:15 p.m. when a 2007 Jeep Commander traveling westbound exited the roadway, struck the tree, then collided with a power box. Authorities have not released the man's name.
The Minnesota State Patrol's account, as reported by WJON, indicates troopers were assisted at the scene by the Benton County Sheriff's Office, Sauk Rapids Fire, and Mayo Ambulance. The stretch of highway where the crash occurred sits just a short drive from the victim's hometown — Rice and Sauk Rapids are roughly 11 to 14 miles apart in Benton County, a trip of under 20 minutes following U.S. Highway 10, according to Distance-Cities.com data.
A Familiar Stretch Of Road For Local Crash Crews
A Familiar Stretch Of Road For Local Crash Crews Highway 23 runs through this part of Benton County. The road itself is a major artery: at 343.7 miles, Minnesota State Highway 23 is the state's second-longest route, according to Wikipedia, cutting diagonally across Minnesota and serving St. Cloud and Foley.
Single-vehicle, run-off-road crashes like Thursday's carry particular risk. State traffic safety reporting shows these collisions are nearly three times more likely to involve speeding — 29.2 percent, compared to just 10.1 percent for multi-vehicle wrecks — according to Minnesota Toward Zero Deaths. Nationally, rollover crashes account for approximately 30 percent of passenger vehicle occupant fatalities, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.
Statewide Numbers Show A Mixed Picture
Statewide Numbers Show A Mixed Picture Minnesota recorded 370 traffic fatalities in 2025, a 22 percent drop from the 475 deaths logged in 2024 and the state's lowest annual total since 2019, according to MPR News. The 2025 total provides a point of comparison for this year's figures.
Under the state's 2025-2029 Strategic Highway Safety Plan, the Minnesota Department of Transportation has set a goal of cutting annual roadway deaths to no more than 225 by 2030 through what it calls a Safe System Approach. Ahead of last summer's peak travel season, Central Minnesota agencies — including the Benton County Sheriff's Office, Sauk Rapids Police, and the State Patrol — piloted an AI-powered predictive analytics tool meant to flag high-risk crash corridors for targeted patrols, per KNSI.
A Region With A Heavy Recent Toll
A Region With A Heavy Recent Toll Thursday's fatality adds to a difficult stretch for Benton County roads. The tri-county region covering Benton, Stearns, and Sherburne counties recorded 33 combined traffic deaths in 2025, part of a pattern examined by Hoodline in coverage of a Sartell woman's rollover crash near St. Wendel in August. Benton County alone has seen a string of fatal wrecks this year, including a motorcycle crash that killed a Rice rider in August.
It remains unclear whether investigators will identify speed, weather, road conditions, or a medical issue as contributing factors once the Minnesota State Patrol's crash reconstruction is complete. It is also not yet known whether the deceased man's identity will be formally released following notification of his family.
