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Tower woman dies in crash during stopped traffic on Hwy 169

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The Minnesota State Patrol reported a vehicle was blocking all lanes of the highway with traffic backed up shortly after 8 p.m. A pickup was stopped waiting to continue north when a sedan struck it.

VIRGINIA — A 61-year-old Tower woman died in a crash Saturday night, Oct. 21, between two vehicles on Highway 169, northeast of Virginia.

The Minnesota State Patrol reported a vehicle was blocking all lanes of Highway 169 with traffic backed up shortly after 8 p.m. A 2014 Dodge Ram pickup was stopped in the lane waiting to continue north when a 2013 Chevrolet Impala sedan struck it from behind.

Cathy Marjorie Johnson, a passenger in the Impala, suffered fatal injuries.

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The driver of the Impala, 38-year-old David Kevin Medicine of Virginia, and 45-year-old passenger Angela Geraldine Buckanaga, suffered non-life-threatening injuries. Both were transported to Essentia Health-Virginia.

The state patrol reported Medicine and Johnson were not wearing seat belts and alcohol is believed to be a factor in the case of Medicine.

The driver of the pickup, 58-year-old Gregory Joseph Lenz of Embarrass, and two passengers, 56-year-old Carl August Brummund of Ely and 14-year-old Henry Edward Lenz of Tower, were also transported to Virginia with non-life-threatening injuries.

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