2 killed when car rear-ends Crystal dump truck

Two passengers in the car were in critical condition. The accident happened on a Bassett Creek Park dirt roadway.

By COURTNEY BLANCHARD, Star Tribune

Last update: January 17, 2009 - 9:22 PM

The 21-year-old parents of two small children, including a newborn, were killed Thursday when the car they were riding in slammed into the back of a Crystal city dump truck. Two other passengers were in critical condition.

The truck driver, Mark Kemper, 48, of Crystal, was driving 5 to 10 miles per hour on a stretch of dirt road in 70-acre Bassett Creek Park, according to Capt. Dave Oyaas of the Crystal Police Department. Just before 1 p.m., a 1995 Dodge Intrepid crashed into the rear of the dump truck, according to the State Patrol.

The accident occurred on a portion of Brunswick Avenue N. south of 32nd Avenue N., Oyaas said.

Relatives identified the dead couple as Terry Christian and Keri Pugsley of Crystal. Dalene Todd, Terry's aunt, said the two were the parents of a 1-year-old and a 4-day-old baby.

Terry Christian's nephew, Wade Christian, 17, a former Minneapolis resident visiting from Arkansas, and family friend Leno Jennings III, 24, of Minneapolis, were in North Memorial Medical Center in Robbinsdale in critical condition.

Relatives at the hospital said Wade Christian and Jennings had multiple injuries but were expected to survive. Wade Christian's parents were driving up from Arkansas to be with them, they said.

The three men were not wearing seat belts, Oyaas said.

Crystal Mayor ReNae Bowman said the driver of the dump truck was part of a city crew building a trail system. She said the speed limit on the road, which sees little traffic, is no more than 35 miles per hour.

"The park is very large; it could have seemed like they were out in the country," she said.

Oyaas said the State Patrol will investigate the crash.

Kemper, the driver of the dump truck, had minor injuries, Kemper said.

"The concern is you have a driver who was involved in a pretty catastrophic event," he said. "You have to take care of the employee."

Bowman also expressed concern for the families of the victims. "It's a very unfortunate thing," she said.

Courtney Blanchard • 612-673-4921

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