Mounds View, MN — April 29, 2025, Kirby Schwarzkopf was killed and five other people were injured in a truck accident at about 10 a.m. on southbound Interstate 35W.

Authorities said seven vehicles, including three semi-trucks, collided because of a "merging conflict" near County Road I.

Brooklyn Park resident Kirby Kyle Schwartzkopf, 67, died in the crash, according to authorities. He was driving a Chevrolet Impala.

Two people in a Ford Edge, two people in a minivan and one of the truck drivers suffered non-life-threatening injuries in the crash, authorities said. They range in age from 28 to 54, but their names have not been made public at this time.

Authorities have not released any additional information about the Ramsey County crash at this time. The accident is still being investigated.

Commentary

When a crash on a major interstate involves multiple passenger vehicles and three semi-trucks, and the outcome includes one death and several injuries, the term “merging conflict” doesn’t do justice to the gravity of what went wrong. On highways like I-35W, where high speeds meet constant lane changes and merging traffic, the stakes are always high, but when commercial trucks are part of the mix, the law expects professional drivers to navigate those situations with foresight and restraint.

What stands out in this case is the sheer scale of the incident. Seven vehicles, three of them semis, suggest that one small failure in judgment or timing likely created a chain reaction. And while we don’t yet know exactly who initiated the sequence, we do know this: in a merging situation, commercial drivers are trained to manage space, anticipate lane movements and avoid maneuvers that could force smaller vehicles into bad decisions. If even one of those trucks merged aggressively, failed to yield or made an unexpected lane change, that alone could have set the entire crash into motion.

It’s also worth noting that the driver who lost his life was in a Chevrolet Impala, a standard passenger car that doesn’t stand a chance when boxed in by 80,000-pound trucks. This isn’t just a size mismatch; it’s a legal imbalance. Passenger car drivers are at a massive disadvantage in crashes like this, which is why the burden of preventing them falls more heavily on those operating commercial vehicles.

Of course, the investigation will need to consider other factors as well: Were vehicles speeding to gain position before a merge? Was traffic unusually heavy or unpredictable? Did one of the non-commercial drivers attempt to force a gap that wasn’t there? Those are all possibilities, but they don’t erase the higher standard of care that applies to commercial drivers in congested, merge-heavy zones. When a professional driver participates in traffic that’s already compressed and tense, the goal isn’t just to avoid a ticket: it’s to avoid putting everyone else in danger.

This crash ultimately raises a critical point about shared responsibility on the highway, especially during merges. Everyone has a part to play, but those behind the wheel of the largest vehicles are expected to do more — to see farther, anticipate earlier and yield more often — because when they don’t, the people in smaller vehicles pay the highest price. And in this case, someone already has. The investigation needs to find out why, so that the next merge doesn’t turn into another moment that can’t be undone.