Posted: 4/16/03

16-year-old airlifted to North after two-car crash in Forest Lake

A two-car crash in Forest Lake Saturday night seriously injured a 16-year-old girl who was airlifted from the scene to North Memorial Hospital in Robbinsdale.

Forest Lake police said Jessica Tovsen of 5853 229th Ave. NE, Stacy, was a passenger in a car attempting to turn north from SW 11th Ave. to SW 12th St. when it collided with a car west bound on 11th Ave. Tovsen was taken to the Robbinsdale hospital with head injuries, police said.

Police Sgt. Ron Hanegraaf said the car Tovsen was riding in was driven by James Powers, 22, of 6931 228th Lane NE, Stacy. Powers was driving the youth home when the collision happened at 7:09 p.m.

The westbound vehicle was driven by Colleen Rivers, 38 of 4151 NW 119th Lane, Coon Rapids. The Rivers vehicle struck the Powers vehicle in the front passenger side where the 16-year-old was sitting, police said.

Rivers was not injured. Powers was treated and released at Fairview Lakes Regional Medical Center, Wyoming.

A reconstruction of the crash is being completed by the Minnesota State Patrol and charges are pending, police said.

In another vehicle accident, a Blaine woman was taken to the Wyoming hospital after she lost control of her motorcycle on North Shore Trail at 2 p.m. on Saturday.

Police were called to the scene one mile east of Willow Point where they found Heidi Holland. She lost control of her motorcycle with a side car and was found in a swampy area. She complained of back pain and was taken to the hospital.

Earlier in the afternoon, police were called to a two-vehicle crash at Everton Ave. and W. Broadway Ave. A car attempting to turn left and enter the Cub Foods parking lot was hit by a west bound vehicle. Charges are also pending in this case, police said. There were no injuries.

Other reports

A car stolen from the parking lot at Forest Lake Elementary School last Friday was recovered on Tuesday.

Police said the car, a 1991 Chrysler New Yorker, was taken from the parking lot after a Forest Lake woman stopped to drop off a student. The car was left unattended with the keys inside, police said.

The theft took place at 9:51 a.m. Within the next hour, police said they received two calls from the woman who reported she saw the car on SW 15th St. and on TH-97. The man was described as a white male with a mustache. Although the vehicle was recovered Tuesday, no arrests have been made.

A Lindstrom man was arrested on an outstanding warrant and probable cause for possession of controlled substance last Friday night. Police made a traffic stop at McDonaldís, 1244 W. Broadway Ave. and took Joseph Xavier Torres, 27, into custody.

He was held on the warrant and for probable cause for possession of a controlled substance, believed to be methamphetamine. A large amount of cash and drug paraphernalia was also seized by police. A formal filing for the felony drug charge is pending, police said.

2002 highway deaths

Last year was the worst year for highway deaths in Minnesota since 1981, the Minnesota Department of Public Safety said this week.

The office of traffic safety reported that 657 traffic crash fatalities happened on state roads in 2002 ó more than in any recent year since 1981 when 763 deaths were reported.

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