WYOMING, Minn. — A two-vehicle, head-on crash in Wyoming, Minnesota left one person dead and two injured Monday morning.
The Chisago County Dispatch Center received a call at 10:48 a.m. for a shoplifting that occurred at the Cartfull retail store in North Branch, according to a press release from authorities. Shortly after, one of the employees was able to provide police with the suspects' vehicle description and license plate.
The release says at 10:58 a.m., a Wyoming police officer followed the suspects' vehicle onto Interstate 35, which later turned onto East Viking Boulevard in Anoka County. The officer waited for a Chisago County Sheriff's deputy to pull over the vehicle.
A traffic stop was conducted at 11:01 a.m., but officials say the suspects fled law enforcement before crossing the road into the other lane and striking a car traveling in the opposite direction.
Video obtained by KARE 11 shows the front of both cars getting smashed in, and pieces of the front bumpers flying into a nearby ditch.
Both cars started on fire, and the Wyoming officer and CCSO deputy "rendered medical aid to the victim and suspects involved in the crash," after extinguishing the flames. Both suspects were originally taken to local trauma centers via helicopters with critical injuries, and a M Health ambulance transported the victim with non-life threatening injuries.
Authorities now report that one of the suspects — the passenger of the vehicle — has died of their injuries, as has the victim's dog. According to the victim's family, another dog that was in her vehicle remains in critical condition at an emergency veterinarian.
On Tuesday, family identified the victim as Debra Hirsch, and created a GoFundMe to help Hirsch with ongoing medical and vet bills. If you'd like to donate, you can find the fundraiser here.
The names of the other people involved have not been released. The Minnesota State Patrol and Anoka County Sheriff’s Office continue to investigate what happened.
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