College minivan in crash north of Twin Cities injures 12, including infant

A college minivan set off a three-vehicle crash north of the Twin Cities that injured 12 people, including an infant and six teenagers, officials said Friday.

The chain-reaction wreck occurred about 4:45 p.m. Thursday northwest of North Branch on Hwy. 95 near NE. 310th Avenue, the State Patrol said.

The most seriously injured was 1-month-old Hudson S. Allen, of North Branch, the patrol said. The boy was taken by emergency responders to Children's Minnesota-St. Paul. His condition has not been disclosed.

The minivan, owned by Anoka-Ramsey Community College, was heading from Cambridge to North Branch, said school spokeswoman Mary McCarthy. The passengers were five high school students participating in a summer program, she said.

According to the patrol:

An SUV heading southeast on Hwy. 95 was about to turn left onto NE. 310th Avenue when it was hit from behind by the minivan whose driver "didn't take the bypass lane on the right," a statement from the patrol read.

The impact pushed the SUV into the opposite lane, where it was struck by a car.

The five teens with Analia Hanson, 19, of Mora, Minn., the driver of the minivan, ranged in age from 15 to 19 and were all from Cambridge.

The infant was in the SUV with two family members: a 28-year-old woman and a 2-year-old girl.

The westbound car was being driven by a 71-year-old man from Harts, W.Va., who was accompanied by a 71-year-old female member of his family.

Hanson suffered a leg injury, and the students were treated at the scene and "were cleared to leave," McCarthy said in a statement.

"As a member of the east-central Minnesota community," the statement continued, "we care deeply about everyone in the area, and our thoughts and prayers go out to all who were involved or who are impacted by this incident."