(Spirit Lake)– A two-vehicle collision Saturday (Nov. 13th) at the intersection of Highway 71 and 120th Street just south of the Iowa/Minnesota border claimed the lives of two people and sent multiple others to the hospital.
The Dickinson County Sheriff’s Office says 29-year-old Mariah Nelson of Jackson was driving a 2008 Hyundai eastbound on 120th Street when she went through a stop sign and collided with a 2011 GMC Sierra driven by 63-year-old Allen Weinzetl of Jackson, who was southbound on Highway 71. Both vehicles rolled, coming to rest on the southeast side of the intersection.
Mariah Nelson and her one-year-old son, Symere Williams, were killed in the accident. Nelson’s daughters, 5-year-old Armani Scott and 6-year-old Zariah Scott, were transported to Lakes Regional Healthcare with incapacitating injuries and were later transferred to Sanford Hospital in Sioux Falls.
Weinzetl was transported to Lakes Regional Heathcare with non-incapacitating injuries. A passenger in his vehicle, 58-year-old Teresa Chonko, was taken to Lakes Regional Healthcare with incapacitating injuries and was later transferred to Avera McKennan Hospital in Sioux Falls.
Authorities say the collision remains under investigation.
The Iowa State Patrol, Spirit Lake Police, Lakes Regional Healthcare ambulance, Estherville ambulance, Superior Fire and Rescue, Lakes Area Extrication Unit, Spirit Lake Fire Department and First Responders and several passersby assisted on the scene.
The collision took place shortly before 11:30 am.
