Patrol: Crash that killed Gustavus athlete was caused when her driver failed to obey stop sign

The two-vehicle crash over the weekend in west-central Minnesota that killed a member of the Gustavus Adolphus College women's hockey team and injured three teammates was caused when her driver failed to obey a stop sign, according to the Minnesota State Patrol.

The crash occurred about 12:40 p.m. Sunday about 20 miles west of Willmar on Hwy. 40 at the intersection with Hwy. 29 in Grace Township, the State Patrol said. The SUV was heading east on Hwy. 40 along with two other vehicles of teammates when it collided with a southbound minivan.

All four women were taken by emergency responders to Montevideo Hospital. Gusties goaltender Jori Lynn Jones, 19, of Little Canada did not survive her injuries, the patrol said.

The patrol filed search warrant affidavits Thursday asking for court permission to analyze computer data in both vehicles, both 2019 models, as part of its investigation into the collision.

The investigator's filing revealed that "evidence at the scene and witness information indicated that [the SUV's driver] failed to stop at the intersection ... and collided" with the minivan, which "had just stopped at the four-way stop at the intersection [and] had just begun to continue south when it was struck."

Gianna K. Gasparini, 19, of Lakeville was identified by the patrol as the SUV's driver. Her other passengers were Kayla M. Bluhm, 20, of Chisago City and Lily K. Mortenson, 19, of Champlin.

A message was left Friday with Gasparini.

Lt. Gordon Shank, the patrol's chief spokesman, said Friday there is no estimate yet on when his agency will complete its investigation.

"As with any crash investigation we conduct, each one is different and the timeline for completing the investigation can vary," Shank said.

The patrol's court filing supports what the minivan's driver, Brandi K. Rasmussen, 28, of Benson, Minn., told the Star Tribune on Monday: that she came to a full stop at the intersection and the other vehicle did not.

Rasmussen said she stopped, saw no other vehicles in all directions and entered the familiar intersection, where the SUV "had to be going 60 miles per hour" at the moment her minivan was hit on the passenger side.

"All of a sudden, I'm in the air, rolling and rolling and rolling," said Rasmussen, who was driving alone on a work assignment for Heartland Girls' Ranch treatment center in Benson, where she is a counselor.

All four women in the SUV were freshmen on the Gustavus Adolphus hockey team that won the NCAA Division III championship in March. Before joining Gustavus Adolphus, Jones played high school hockey for Roseville, Gasparini for Lakeville North, Mortenson for Benilde-St. Margaret in St. Louis Park and Bluhm for Chisago Lakes in Lindstrom, Minn.

The hockey players were in one of three vehicles of teammates returning from a short off-season trip to Aberdeen in eastern South Dakota.