A 35-year-old Park Rapids woman is fighting for her life after a two-vehicle crash on Highway 29 near Deer Creek Wednesday morning sent her to the hospital with life-threatening injuries, while two other people walked away with injuries that were not considered critical. The crash happened just before 11 a.m. at the intersection of Highway 29 and Spaghetti Road, snarling a rural stretch of Otter Tail County with emergency responders.
Rhonda Lewis was driving a 2001 Chevrolet Silverado east on Highway 29 at 10:54 a.m. when it collided with a 2005 Toyota Tundra heading west, according to Valley News Live. Lewis was wearing a seat belt at the time, the Minnesota State Patrol said, and she was taken to Astera Hospital with injuries described as life-threatening.
The driver of the Tundra, 21-year-old Owen Ecker of Alexandria, suffered non-life-threatening injuries and was also taken to Astera Hospital. A passenger in the Tundra, 19-year-old Noah Ecker, also of Alexandria, suffered non-life-threatening injuries as well. Both Owen Ecker and Noah Ecker were wearing seat belts, per the station's report.
Wet Roads, No Alcohol Suspected
Road conditions were wet at the time of the crash, and the State Patrol said alcohol is not suspected as a factor. No further details about what caused the two trucks to collide have been released.
The crash drew a heavy emergency response for the rural area. Deer Creek and Wadena fire departments, the Otter Tail County Sheriff's Office, and Henning and Astera ambulances all responded to the scene, the same account notes.
Another Crash on the Same Highway
Highway 29 has seen other recent trouble in Otter Tail County. In a separate incident, a Deer Creek woman was injured when the car she was driving struck a deer on the same highway in Compton Township, according to the Perham Focus. Deana Maye Whitaker, 50, was taken to Astera Hospital in Wadena with non-life-threatening injuries after her 2021 Mazda CX-30 struck a deer near milepost 122 while she was heading south.
Whitaker was wearing a seat belt and the Mazda's airbags deployed in that crash, which was reported at 6:06 p.m. on wet pavement, the Perham Focus reported. Deer Creek Rescue, the Otter Tail County Sheriff's Officer and Astera Ambulance assisted the State Patrol at that scene.
No additional updates on Lewis's condition have been released as of Wednesday afternoon.
