Five people injured in two-vehicle accident on U.S. Highway 218 in Mower County Saturday evening

Five people were injured in a two-vehicle accident on U.S. Highway 218 in Mower County just south of Austin Saturday evening.

The Minnesota State Patrol reported that a 2012 Chrysler Town and Country van being driven by 44-year old Jessica Marie Gerereo of Austin was southbound on Highway 218 and attempted to turn eastbound onto 29th Ave. SE in Austin Township at approximately 9:18 p.m. Saturday evening when her vehicle collided with a 2021 Toyota Venza being driven by 79-year old Mahlon Stanley Krueger of Austin, which was northbound on Highway 218 at the time of the accident.

Gerereo and three passengers in her vehicle, 40-year old Demetrius Lewis, 6-year old Jamie Lewis and 7-year old Octabrian Pitchford, all of Austin, and a passenger in Krueger’s vehicle, 75-year old Catherine Ann Krueger of Austin all suffered non-life threatening injuries in the accident, and they were all transported to Mayo Clinic Health Systems in Austin for treatment, while Mahlon Krueger and three additional passengers in Gerereo’s van, 20-year old Mya Rose Glienke of Rochester, 25-year old Bianca Rubia Pitchford of Austin and 48-year old Denovious Xapher Pitchford of Austin were all uninjured.  

The State Patrol reported that all parties involved in the accident with the exception of Demetrius Lewis were wearing their seatbelts at the time of the accident, and the Austin Police Department, the Mower County Sheriff’s Office, Adams Ambulance and Mayo Clinic Ambulance all assisted the State Patrol at the accident scene Saturday evening.