1 Person Dead, 1 Seriously Injured in 3-Vehicle Crash in Crow Wing County

Update 5/12/25: A GoFundMe campaign has identified the victim of the fatal crash as Keylah Kendrick, a Pine River-Backus High School senior. More details on the update can be found here.

Original Story: One person died and another was seriously injured in a three-vehicle crash that involved a dump truck in Crow Wing County on Friday morning.

The Sheriff’s Office says a preliminary investigation indicates the crash in Manhattan Beach primarily involved the dump truck traveling northbound on County Road 1 and an SUV that was entering County Road 1 from the south, coming from County Road 66. A second SUV, which was turning from County Road 1 onto County Road 66, was also struck during the incident.

Lifesaving measures were performed on the 18-year-old driver of the SUV involved in the initial collision, but despite efforts, the individual was pronounced dead at the scene. The front passenger of the same SUV was airlifted from the scene in critical condition.

A rear passenger was transported to a local hospital by a private party with injuries that are believed to be non-life-threatening. The driver of the dump truck departed the scene with their employer.

The names of those involved in the crash are being withheld pending family notification and further investigation. This incident remains under active investigation by the Crow Wing County Sheriff’s Office in cooperation with the Minnesota State Patrol.