Man killed in head-on crash was member of Minnesota National Guard
The man killed when a driver crossed the median and crashed into oncoming traffic near Hinckley was identified over the weekend as a member of the Minnesota National Guard.
David T. Greiner, 45, was heading northbound on I-35 just south of Hinckley Friday afternoon when a driver in the southbound lane drifted over and crashed into his vehicle. Greiner, from Garfield, Minnesota, died in the wreck.
On Sunday, the 148th Fighter Wing identified Master Sgt. Greiner as a roads and ground supervisor with the 148th Civil Engineering Squadron, noting they were announcing his death "with heavy hearts."
“Master Sgt. Greiner quietly and effectively got the job done,” said Chief Master Sgt. Doug Ion of the 148th Civil Engineering Squadron in the post. “Dave was always on point whether he was working on airfield infrastructure projects or removing an A-300 Cargo aircraft from an active runway during a combat deployment.”
The 148th Fighter Wing said Greiner had nearly 20 years of military service, having joined the U.S. Army in 2001 as a helicopter mechanic before becoming a member of the National Guard three years later. He was deployed to Bagram Airfield in Afghanistan twice, in 2010 and 2014.
"Dave had a tremendous positive impact on the lives and careers of the airman in his field and was highly respected by everyone that knew him," the 148th Fighter Wing's post reads.
Funeral service arrangements are pending.
Greiner was alone in his vehicle at the time of the crash. The driver of the car that crossed the median, a 21-year-old woman from Cambridge, suffered life-threatening injuries and was not wearing a seat belt, according to the State Patrol. Her passenger, a 45-year-old man from St. Paul, also suffered severe injuries.
