Four injured, including a Crow Wing County sheriff’s deputy, during a three-vehicle crash north of Brainerd

Detroit Lakes, Minn. (KDLM) – A Crow Wing County sheriff’s deputy was injured, along with three other vehicle occupants, as the result of a three-vehicle crash Monday afternoon on Highway 371, just north of the Brainerd.

According to the Minnesota State Patrol, on July 24 at 1:57 p.m., a 2018 Buick Regal was stopped in the left lane of southbound Highway 371 with a 2021 Dodge Durango stopped behind them. The Durango was then rearended by a Crow Wing County sheriff’s office cruiser,  a 2021 Ford Explorer driven by 42-year-old Matthew Wayne Jorgens, of Nisswa, which was then pushed into the Regal.

According to the Crow Wing County Sheriff’s Office, the police cruiser then started on fire and was deemed a “total loss.”

Jorgens, along with two Minneapolis residents and a 78-year-old Brainerd woman, were all transported to Essentia Health St. Joseph’s Medical Center in Brainerd for treatment of non-life-threatening injuries.

All four vehicle occupants were wearing their seat belts at the time of the crash and the incident remains under an active investigation being led by the Minnesota State Patrol.