A 91-year-old Buffalo woman died Thursday morning after the car she was riding in collided with a public transit bus at the entrance to the Walmart parking lot on Highway 25 in Buffalo, Minnesota. The crash happened at about 10:45 a.m. when a car turning left from northbound Highway 25 struck a southbound Ford Econoline bus, killing passenger Laura Hoffman and sending the car's 96-year-old driver to the hospital.
According to WJON, the car was driven by Floyd Sawatzke, 96, of Maple Lake, who was turning from northbound Highway 25 into the Walmart lot when his vehicle collided with the bus. Minnesota State Patrol findings relayed by KNSI identify the vehicles involved as a 2002 Buick LeSabre and a 2025 Ford Econoline bus operated by Trailblazer Transit, with the collision occurring as the Buick turned onto John Ause Memorial Drive.
Hoffman, 91, of Buffalo, was a passenger in Sawatzke's car and died in the crash, per the state patrol's findings cited by WJON. Sawatzke was taken to Buffalo Hospital with non-life-threatening injuries. The bus driver, 29-year-old Kortnie Rhoads of Big Lake, was uninjured.
Investigators Still Checking Seat Belt Use
State patrol records relayed by KRWC Radio indicate that responding officers could not immediately determine whether Hoffman was wearing a seat belt at the time of impact. No further findings on that question have been released.
Trailblazer Transit is a public Dial-A-Ride service serving Wright, McLeod, and Sibley counties. The service assists passengers to and from vehicles, according to background published on Minnesota.gov.
Crash Site Sits Inside Active Highway Overhaul
The intersection where the crash occurred lies within a seven-mile stretch of Highway 25 between Buffalo and Monticello undergoing an $11.4 million reconstruction project led by the Minnesota Department of Transportation, scheduled for completion in late October. The agency's project notes, published on its website, describe the work as including full-depth pavement recycling and major structural upgrades to the corridor.
As part of that overhaul, MnDOT and local officials are adding three roundabouts and reworking two intersection access points along the corridor, according to project materials from the City of Buffalo. MnDOT had also implemented major detour shifts along Highway 25 north of John Ause Memorial Drive through the spring and summer, rerouting through-traffic onto Highway 55 and County Roads 12 and 37 during the heaviest roadwork.
Senior Drivers and Daytime Crash Risk
State figures compiled by the Minnesota Department of Public Safety show that drivers and passengers aged 65 and older account for roughly a quarter of all traffic fatalities statewide, a share that takes on added weight as the state's senior population is projected to grow to 1.3 million by 2040. The department also reports that failure to yield is the most common contributing factor in crashes involving senior drivers, and that most senior-involved collisions happen during daytime hours.
National data from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration show a similar pattern: 68 percent of traffic fatalities involving older adults occur in multi-vehicle collisions, and 70 percent happen in daylight, according to figures published by the federal agency. Minnesota law does not set a maximum driving age or require special road testing for senior drivers, according to the Minnesota House Research Department; license holders are subject only to standard four-year renewal vision screenings unless a family member, physician, or law enforcement officer formally requests an individual driver evaluation.
No citations or additional details about the cause of the crash had been released as of Thursday, and the investigation into the collision remains ongoing.
