2 die when semi truck rams van near Hugo

By MARY LYNN SMITH and ABBY SIMONS , Star Tribune

Last update: August 28, 2009 - 12:31 AM

It was going to be a small family reunion of sorts.

Carolyn (Carie) Anderson was driving her 88-year-old aunt and her 72-year-old cousin to visit another family member in Hugo on Thursday afternoon, said her husband, David Anderson.

But only a few blocks from their destination, a semitrailer truck headed north on Hwy. 61 slammed into the back of their minivan, killing 59-year-old Anderson of Eagan and her aunt, Rose Bongiovanni of St. Paul. Anderson's cousin Marlene Wanner of Oakdale was in critical condition at Regions Hospital in St. Paul on Thursday night.

Carolyn Anderson apparently was stopping to make a left turn at 159th Street when her van was hit by the semi driven by Seth Strehler, 32, of Rockford, Minn., said Lt. Matt Langer of the Minnesota State Patrol. The impact pushed the van off the road and into the east ditch of Hwy. 61.

Down the street, Butch Dreawves of Hugo heard the sirens and the helicopter as he waited for his cousin, Carolyn Anderson, his aunt Rose and his sister, Marlene. Knowing the three were late, he made his way to the accident scene, where he helped emergency workers identify the victims.

Carolyn Anderson died at the scene. Her aunt was taken to Regions Hospital, where she died. Strehler was not hurt.

Both lanes of the highway were closed for about three hours.

Langer said that speed is not a specific problem on Hwy. 61, but that new development in the area has resulted in a lot of cross traffic. It's vital for drivers to slow down and keep their eyes open, he said.

"It's a spot like any other spot, but we urge people to pay attention while they're driving," he said.

It's too early to tell if speed was a factor in Thursday's crash, he said.

Late Thursday, David Anderson was still trying to wrestle with the news that his wife had died. "I'm in denial," he said.

She had retired about five years ago from 3M, where she worked in marketing and communications. "She went back to school and became a massage therapist because it was something she always wanted to do," David Anderson said. She spent the past two years working as a massage therapist when she wasn't working in her garden or taking photographs.

"Family was always important to her," he said. "She was always getting together with someone from her family."

mlsmith@startribune.com • 612-673-4788 asimons@startribune.com • 612-673-4921

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