NOBLES COUNTY, Minn. — A 30-year-old woman from Mexico was killed in a car crash in far southwestern Minnesota Wednesday, May 11 as severe storms pushed across the state.
According to Minnesota State Patrol, Martha Rodriguez was a passenger in a Chevrolet hatchback that was driving east on I-90 in Nobles County when the car stopped to avoid hitting downed power lines that had fallen over the interstate.
Investigators say a Freightliner semi then crashed into the stopped vehicle around 6 p.m., which had four people inside, including Rodriguez. The driver and one passenger were taken to a local hospital with what troopers called non-life-threatening injuries. A third passenger from Annapolis, Maryland, was hospitalized with life-threatening injuries from the crash.
The driver of a Pontiac G6 hit the downed power lines and was also taken to the hospital with non-life-threatening injuries.
Wednesday's storms, which spread out over several hours, flooded roads, downed power lines and took out trees in communities across the state.
The National Weather Service reported an area reaching from Northfield to Woodbury and Forest Lake saw winds with speeds of 60 to 70 mph. Shakopee and Morristown experienced strong winds as well, with gusts nearing 80 mph.
As of Thursday afternoon, thousands of Xcel Energy customers were still without power. Hundreds of crews are working to restore power as more severe weather is forecast to move in overnight.
