Alcohol is believed to be a factor in a three-vehicle crash near Pierz that left one dead and sent five people, including two children, to the hospital. The crash happened Tuesday a little after 5 in Pierz Township on Highway 25 at 133rd Street.

According to the Minnesota State Patrol, a semi-trailer was northbound on Highway 25 while an SUV was stopped in the southbound lane waiting to turn on 133rd Street. A car driven by 64-year-old Vonda Hydahl of Waverly was traveling west when it failed to stop and hit both the semi and the SUV. Hydahl died as a result of the crash. The driver of the semi and the driver of the SUV, along with three other passengers who were in the SUV (including two children) were sent to St. Gabriel’s Hospital in Little Falls to be treated for non life-threatening injuries.

Alcohol was believed to be a factor in the crash on the part of Hydahl. All the people involved in the crash were wearing seatbelts.

By — Nathan Green