ST. LOUIS COUNTY, Minn. 鈥� A moose entering U.S. Highway 53 about 10 miles south of Eveleth on Saturday night led to two crashes, another vehicle swerving into the ditch and one teenager with serious injuries being airlifted from the scene, according to reports from the Minnesota State Patrol and St. Louis County Sheriff Gordon Ramsay.
At about 8:50 p.m. Saturday evening, a Kia Forte and a Buick Encore were both traveling north on Highway 53 near milepost 52. A moose entered the roadway causing the Kia, driven by Joseph Paul Aho, a 16-year-old from Britt, to make a direct impact, causing heavy damage to the car.
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The Kia's passenger, Katelyn Elizabeth Johnson, a 16-year-old from Gilbert, was airlifted to Essentia Health-St. Mary's Medical Center in Duluth. No report on her condition was available at the time of publishing, though the State Patrol listed her injuries as non-life-threatening.
The moose was hit a second time by a Buick Encore driven by a 17-year-old from Mountain Iron. The Encore didn't make contact with any other vehicles, only with the moose in the road, according to the State Patrol report. Neither driver nor passenger of the Encore was seriously injured in the incident.
A third vehicle, a GMC Terrain driven by a 43-year-old from Aurora, also swerved into the ditch to avoid hitting the moose and/or the other vehicles.
"We鈥檙e seeing the annual increase in vehicle vs. deer and moose crashes this time of year. Keep this in mind if you鈥檙e out and about driving at higher speeds as the impacts from hitting these animals can cause life changing damage and injuries 鈥� in an instant," Ramsay wrote on his Facebook page. "Our thoughts are with this individual and their loved ones."
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