Yesterday, the Polk County Sheriff’s Office was dispatched to two separate accidents involving semis.
At approximately 7:30 a.m. the Polk County Sheriff’s Office was dispatched to a semi that had gone off the roadway near the intersection of County Road 21 / 400th Ave NW and jackknifed. The road was covered in mud from a nearby field at the time of the accident. The driver of the semi, Jonathan Smith, of Mayville, ND sustained minor injuries and was transported to Altru Hospital in Grand Forks. The semi had to be towed due to disabling damage. Assisting agencies were Warren Ambulance and Warren Fire.
The second accident occurred at approximately 11:30 a.m. south of American Crystal Sugar in Crookston near the intersection of County Road 9/KT and Hwy 75. This accident involved a semi and a Minnesota Northern Railroad Train. The semi failed to yield to the train at a crossing controlled by human flaggers and was struck by passing train cars. The train was traveling at a slow speed. The driver of the semi, David Lietz of Harwood, ND sustained no injuries and did not seek any medical attention. County Road 9 was closed off for some time until the semi and train were removed. The semi sustained disabling damage and had to be towed from the scene. The train cars sustained minimal damage. Lietz was cited for Failure to Stop for a Human Flagger at a Railroad Crossing. Assisting agencies were Minnesota State Patrol and Crookston Police Department.
In both incidents, the drivers were wearing their seatbelts and alcohol was not a factor.
No further information will be released at this time.
Pictures of the second accident and a video by Neil Carlson of iNewz.TV can be seen below-




