HAWLEY, Minn. — A Clay County coroner’s jury ruled that no criminal negligence was involved in a tragic car-truck collision that resulted in the deaths of three teenagers from Fargo on June 14. The verdict was reached after the jury deliberated for approximately 20 minutes following the testimonies of nine witnesses, including Douglas Hansen, the 16-year-old driver of the car.
Witness accounts revealed that a series of cars braked suddenly, leading to the fatal incident on U.S. Highway 10, about five miles east of Hawley. The crash claimed the lives of Sharon Green, 15; Wallace Duescher, 16; and Yvonne Marzolf. The teenagers were en route to a cabin in Detroit Lakes, Minnesota, when their vehicle veered into the path of an oncoming trailer truck.
Hansen, who sustained injuries in the crash, appeared at the inquest with his arm in a sling and a heavily bandaged hand. He testified that he could not remember the moments leading up to the accident, admitting, “I just can’t remember.” He recalled only the purpose of their trip and the arrangement of the passengers in his car—two girls in the back and two boys in the front.
The truck driver, Donnie E. Sommers, 26, of West Fargo, described the moment the car entered his lane. He stated that he was returning from Illinois with a load of steel grain bins when he noticed the vehicle suddenly veering into his path. “It happened so fast. There was nothing I could do,” he said. Sommers was later found walking around in a ditch, having been apparently thrown from the cab during the collision.
Multiple witnesses corroborated that a car in front of Hansen’s had slowed to make a left turn, forcing him and others to hit their brakes. Barbara Martin, one of the witnesses, recalled seeing Hansen’s car lose control as it struggled to maintain steady driving. “The driver appeared to be having trouble keeping it under control,” she noted.
Others who provided eyewitness accounts included Patrick Detwiller and Albert Skar, who were driving in front of Martin and confirmed her observations regarding the rapid braking and subsequent chaos. Merle Schenck, another driver involved in the incident, indicated that she had signaled for a left turn before pulling to the shoulder to avoid causing further distress to the cars behind her.
Three Minnesota State Highway Patrol officers arrived shortly after the crash and observed the wreckage. They reported that the truck had carried the car with it for a considerable distance after the point of impact. It was determined that tire marks on the highway indicated the path both vehicles had taken before coming to rest in a ditch.
The inquiry concluded with the coroner confirming that all three teens died from injuries sustained during the accident. The jurors involved were Richard Hederick, John A. Anderson, Robert Sullivan, Clayton Anderson, A.C. Hanson, and G.B. Pederson.
This incident serves as a reminder of the unpredictability of road conditions and the critical need for driver vigilance on highways.
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