Local Accident News

A two-vehicle collision in Mountain Iron claimed the life of a man early Thursday morning. The St. Louis County Sheriff’s Office reported that the crash happened around 6 a.m. on Park Ridge Drive at the MinnTac entrance. Kevin John Jurek, 44, of Keewatin, was driving an SUV eastbound when he collided with a commercial vehicle carrying hazardous materials (oxidizing agent) that was heading westbound. The driver of the commercial vehicle, Samuel Jay Rahn, 28, of Iron, survived the crash with non-life-threatening injuries and was transported to a nearby hospital by ambulance. Jurek, however, was trapped in his SUV and pronounced dead at the scene. Authorities said that excessive speed was a likely factor in the severity of the crash. They also said that no hazardous materials leaked from the commercial vehicle.