Cottage Grove man dies in head-on crash with semi
A Cottage Grove man was killed in a head-on crash in southern Minnesota Thursday morning.
The Minnesota State Patrol said the crash happened at about 9:44 a.m. on Highway 13 at mile marker 58 in Montgomery Township.
According to the crash report, a Dodge Journey driven by 40-year-old Joshua Scott Almendinger was traveling northbound on the highway when he collided with a semi.
Almendinger died in the crash. Authorities said he was not wearing a seatbelt.
The semi driver, a 53-year-old woman from Green Bay, was not injured in the crash.
According to the Minnesota Department of Public Safety, the number of people killed when not wearing a seatbelt rose for a second consecutive year in 2021. Bring Me The News reported that 108 drivers who weren't wearing a seatbelt died on Minnesota roads last year. That's three more than 2020's total of 105, and a 48% increase since 2019 – and the highest number since 2014.
