OLMSTED COUNTY, MINNESOTA — A tornado flipped a semi-truck on Interstate 90 near Rochester Thursday afternoon, injuring the driver and sending him to the hospital.
The crash occurred at 2:26 p.m. on April 17 near mile marker 212 in High Forest Township, about a mile and a half east of the Rochester airport. Abdirashid Ahmed Keynan, 55, of Bloomington, Minnesota, was driving a 2021 Kenworth tractor-trailer westbound on I-90 when an approaching tornado caused the semi to turn over onto its side. The road was wet at the time. The airbag did not deploy. Alcohol was not suspected.
Keynan was wearing a seat belt. He was transported by Mayo Clinic Ambulance Service to St. Mary’s Hospital with non-life-threatening injuries.
The Olmsted County Sheriff’s Office and Stewartville Fire Department also responded to the scene.
The National Weather Service also reported a separate tornado flipped a semi-truck near Elgin and caused damage to farms in that area. It is unknown whether the driver of that truck was injured.
Anyone seeking information about this incident can contact Sgt. Troy Christianson at (507) 923-2050 or the case information line at (507) 923-2040.
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