Overview
- The head-on collision on Highway 71 between Windom and Sanborn Friday killed five people and injured nine.
- The victims were SUV driver Martin Hanson, 67, and van passengers Richard and Kathleen Johnson, 73, Kelly Hargus, 49, and Lindsey Rossow, 47.
- The State Patrol says Hanson did not have a driver’s license, and authorities report the van lacked seatbelts and was being used as a party bus for a birthday.
- Relatives and a church say survivor Kassandra Ambrose underwent more than seven hours of surgery and is now awake and able to communicate.
- Investigators have not determined a cause, and the patrol reports dry roads with no alcohol suspected in what MPR calls the deadliest Minnesota crash since 2023.