Five people injured in two-vehicle accident on U.S. Highway 218 in Austin Township Saturday afternoon

Five people, four of them 13 years of age or younger were injured in a two-vehicle accident at the intersection of U.S. Highway 218 and 175th Street in Mower County Saturday afternoon.

The Minnesota State Patrol reported that a 2011 GMC Terrain being driven by 25-year old Logan Carlyle Cox of Austin was traveling southbound on Highway 218 at approximately 2:04 p.m. Saturday afternoon when his vehicle collided with a 2015 Jeep Compass being driven by 52-year old Peggy Ann Hanson of Austin, which was also southbound on Highway 218 at the intersection with 175th Street in Austin Township.  

Hanson and four passengers in her vehicle, 13-year old Kailyn Nicole Bissen, 11-year old Rogan Ward Freese, 8-year old Cecilia Ann Parks and 5-year old Ledgend Blaine Parks all suffered non-life threatening injuries, and they were all transported to Mayo Clinic Health Systems in Austin for treatment.  Cox and three passengers in his vehicle,  22-year old Ana Marie Chavez-Mendez, 3-year old Ava Marie Chavez-Mendez and 4-year old Isabella June Cox were all uninjured.  

The State Patrol reported that it was unknown if Cox or Ana Marie Chavez-Mendez were wearing their seatbelts at the time of the accident, and they indicated that Ava Marie Chavez-Mendez and Cox were both unbelted.  The State Patrol added that Hanson and all of the passengers in her vehicle were wearing their seatbelts at the time of the accident.  

The Mower County Sheriff’s Office assisted the State Patrol at the accident scene Saturday afternoon.