At around 11:45 Tuesday morning (October 1st), the Minnesota State Patrol responded to a report of a semi fire on eastbound I-94 in Fergus Falls, near mile marker 52.
According to Sergeant Jesse Grabow of the State Patrol, the semi was transporting hay bales that caught fire. The driver, 64-year-old Gerald Bergen of Carrot River, Saskatchewan, was outside and along the semi-trailer attending to the load, when he was injured by a tire trailer that blew out. Bergen was transported to Lake Region Healthcare and eventually to Regions Hospital in St. Paul for his injuries, the extent of which is unknown.
Traffic in the area was impacted for approximately four hours.
The State Patrol was assisted by the Fergus Falls Fire Department, Elizabeth Fire Department, the Otter Tail County Sheriff’s Office, and the Minnesota Department of Transportation.
Photo Courtesy of Derrick Sidian,