Brainerd Woman Who Died After Being Hit By Truck Identified

A Brainerd woman who died on Monday, along with her horse, following an accident involving a pickup truck has been identified.

On June 13th around 6:56 PM, deputies had responded to a report of a personal injury accident at 13519 Thompson Road, Brainerd. Reports stated that when officers arrived on scene, they learned that the pickup truck was traveling east when it struck both 33-year-old Katie Marie Yaunick of Bemidji and her horse. Both were walking west along the shoulder of the road.

Officers reported that both Yaunick and the horse were dead at the scene. Yaunick lived on Thompson Road close to where the accident took place.

The driver of the pickup truck has been identified as 44-year-old Matthew Richard Dircks of Brainerd. Crow Wing County Sheriff Scott Goddard reported that Dircks told officers that he was driving back home at the time of the accident. Dircks was uninjured following the crash.

This incident is currently under further investigation by both the Crow Wing County Sheriff’s Office and the Minnesota State Patrol.