An 86-year-old Perham man and a 69-year-old Ottertail woman were injured Thursday evening when their vehicles collided while both traveling southbound on Highway 78 near the Otter Tail County Road 14 intersection. The crash happened at about 5:09 p.m. and sent both drivers to Perham Health for treatment.
According to the Voice of Alexandria, the Minnesota State Patrol reported that two people were injured in the crash in Otter Tail County. Susan Ament of Ottertail, 69, was driving a 2009 Infiniti FX35, while Thomas Loerzel of Perham, 86, was behind the wheel of a 2013 Ford Edge, and both vehicles were heading south on Highway 78 when they collided, according to Perham Focus.
The State Patrol's incident report pinpointed the crash site near the Otter Tail County Road 14 intersection, in Rush Lake Township. Both Loerzel and Ament were taken to Perham Health for treatment of injuries believed to be non-life-threatening, the report said.
Dry Roads, No Alcohol Suspected
The report noted that road conditions were dry at the time of the crash and that alcohol was not suspected to be a factor. Airbags deployed in both vehicles, and both drivers were wearing their seat belts when the collision occurred, the report states. The crash remains under investigation.
Responding to the scene alongside State Patrol troopers were the Otter Tail County Sheriff's Office, the Perham Police Department, Perham EMS and the Perham Fire Department, the same report noted.
A Corridor Already Under Scrutiny
A Corridor Already Under Scrutiny Thursday's crash adds to a stretch of highway that transportation planners have flagged before. A Minnesota Department of Transportation project summary covering the Highway 78 corridor from Highway 10 near Perham through downtown Ottertail identified a relatively high-frequency crash area in a segment near the Highway 78 and Highway 10 interchange, according to MnDOT's executive summary. The agency says its broader study is evaluating intersection safety along the route.
It's unclear whether Thursday's collision falls within the high-frequency segment identified in MnDOT's study, and the agency's corridor-level data does not establish a crash trend at this specific intersection. The investigation into what caused the collision between Ament's and Loerzel's vehicles remains ongoing.
