Driver dies after setting off 4-vehicle collision on I-94 in Albertville, patrol says

The crash occurred in a westbound lane shortly after 3 p.m., the patrol said.

December 7, 2023 at 2:23PM
A four-vehicle crash left one person dead Wednesday in Wright County. (MnDOT traffic camera/The Minnesota Star Tribune)

A driver who rear-ended one of four slow-moving vehicles set off a chain-reaction collision on an interstate in Albertville and was killed, officials said.

The crash occurred shortly after 3 p.m. Wednesday on westbound Interstate 94 in Albertville, the State Patrol said.

The motorist who died was identified by the patrol as Benjamin W. Wittrock, 43, of Sauk Rapids, Minn. The patrol said Wittrock was not wearing his seat belt at the time of the crash.

According to the patrol:

Three passenger vehicles were moving slowly in the left lane of I-94 when Wittrock hit one of them from behind. That set off the chain reaction of collisions involving two more of the slow-moving vehicles.

Patrol Sgt. Jesse Grabow said Thursday that the crash did not occur in a construction zone, and the investigation continues into why the vehicles were traveling slowly.

The only other person injured among all of the vehicles' occupants was Kristine M. Anderson, 73, of Minnetonka, who was driving an SUV ahead of Wittrock's car. Her injuries didn't require hospitalization.

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Paul Walsh

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Paul Walsh is a general assignment reporter at the Minnesota Star Tribune. He wants your news tips, especially in and near Minnesota.

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