Two-vehicle accident at Hwy. 3 and K Road
The Humboldt Fire Department (left) hoses down a Chevrolet Suburban that caught on fire following a two-vehicle crash late Wednesday afternoon north of Dakota City. Humboldt Independent photo by Kent Thompson.
A fiery two-vehicle crash at the intersection of Highway 3 and County K Road Wednesday afternoon sent three people to the hospital. The Humboldt County Sheriff’s Office (HCSO), Humboldt Fire and Rescue, Humboldt County Memorial Hospital (HCMH) Emergency Medical Services and the Humboldt Police Department responded to the accident at the intersection of 220th Street (Highway 3) and K Road at 4:36 p.m. on Wednesday.
According to the report from the sheriff's office, a 2012 Dodge Ram 1500 pickup driven by Paul J. Olesen, 19, of Humboldt, was southbound on K Road. Witnesses at the scene said Olesen's truck paused briefly at the stop sign and then accelerated rapidly into the intersection where it struck the front driver's side corner of a 2002 Chevrolet Suburban driven by April L. Goodell, 41, of Humboldt. The Chevy Suburban ended up in the southeast corner of the intersection off the traveled portion of the road. The Dodge pickup spun around and was facing north in the middle of Highway 3.
Goodell and a passenger, Tyson Crahan, 13, of Livermore, along with the Goodell family dog, were able to escape the vehicle before the engine area of the SUV burst into flames. Both Goodell and Crahan were transported to Humboldt County Memorial Hospital by family friends or relatives with suspected minor, non-incapacitating injuries.
Olesen, the driver of the Dodge pickup, was taken to HCMH by EMS ground ambulance with suspected minor, non-incapacitating injuries. All three subjects were wearing safety belts.
The Humboldt Fire Department responded quickly to the scene with its pumper trucks and was able to quell the fire in a relatively short amount of time. The HCSO and Humboldt Fire provided traffic control with assistance from the Humboldt Police Department.
Both vehicles were considered total losses with an estimated $10,000 in damage to both vehicles. Jergens Body and Alignment removed the vehicles from the scene.
Olesen was charged with failure to yield upon entering a through highway.
