Icy roads caused by Thursday's winter storm played a major role in an SUV-small bus crash that killed one person and injured nine others in Sherburne County, authorities say.
According to Sheriff Joel Brott, a small public bus and an SUV collided head-on at 3:10 p.m. on icy County Road 15 near County Road 83, near Big Lake.
Tri-CAP bus passenger Marilyn R. Balogi, 47, of Zimmerman, was killed.
Bus driver Curtis R. Crane, 61, of Elk River and seven other passengers were taken to area hospitals, as was the SUV driver, Matthew Duitsman, 17, of Elk River.
According to a news release, the injured are:
Katerina M. Berglund, 22, of Zimmerman; Josclyn E. Cross, 25, of Zimmerman; Natasha M. Duren, 28, of Princeton; Cassandra A. Hible, 27, of Zimmerman; Jason L. Lee, 36, of Zimmerman; Aaron Silva, 22, of Princeton, and Herbert Eckert, 47, of Zimmerman.
Investigators said that bad weather and poor driving conditions likely contributed to the crash. It occurred on a curve in the road, the Sheriff's Office said.
KAREN ZAMORA
