Semi driver among 2 killed in crash near Northfield

A semitrailer truck driver was one of two motorists killed in a collision with a car west of Northfield.

The crash occurred about 7:30 a.m. Monday on Hwy. 19 at Baldwin Avenue, the State Patrol said.

Dead at the scene were semi driver Richard L. Banidt, 59, of nearby Goodhue, and the car's driver, 28-year-old Bobak Barjasteh, of Northfield.

Goodhue Fire and Rescue identified Banidt as one of its firefighters. "With heavy hearts we announce a loss of a great fireman, friend and mentor," a department statement read.

The semi was heading west when it collided with the eastbound car, according to the patrol.

The patrol said Barjasteh did not have on a seat belt. The agency has yet to determine whether the trucker was belted in.

Semi drivers dying in crashes in the state is rare. Out of more than 2,000 crashes in 2018 involving a big rig in Minnesota, only two semi occupants were killed, according to state data.