Grove Township, MN — June 11, 2025, Rinlita Amornwisanwong, Miss Pijitra Musikapan and Paphatchaya Urairat were injured in a truck accident at about noon on State Highway 4.

Authorities said a 2018 Kenworth semi-truck was going south on Highway 4 when it collided with a 2001 Pontiac Grand Am that was heading west on County Road 186 near Melrose.

Pontiac passengers Rinlita Amornwisanwong, 23, and Miss Pijitra Musikapan, 22, suffered life-threatening injuries in the crash, according to authorities, while driver Paphatchaya Urairat, 23 was hospitalized with non-life-threatening injuries.

The truck driver was not injured, authorities said.

Authorities have not released any additional information about the Stearns County crash at this time. The accident is still under investigation.

Commentary

When people hear about a crash where a semi-truck hits a smaller vehicle at an intersection, the first question they naturally ask is, “How did this happen?” From the available details, we know the truck was heading south on State Highway 4, while the Pontiac was going west on County Road 186. But we don't yet know what led to the collision where those two roads meet.

That missing detail matters a lot. Was the truck driver supposed to yield at the intersection? Did the Pontiac driver have a stop sign or right-of-way? Without knowing who had the legal right to proceed, we can’t begin to determine who’s responsible. This is one of those situations where getting the full picture requires digging deeper than what’s in the initial report.

The first step in sorting out who is at fault in a crash like this is to look at hard evidence: things like the semi-truck’s engine control module (ECM) data, dash cam footage (if available) or even traffic camera recordings at the intersection. ECM data can show whether the truck was accelerating, braking or turning at the moment of the crash. That can shed light on whether the driver blew through a stop sign or tried to avoid the collision.

The truck’s driver logs and cell phone records are also worth reviewing. If the trucker was distracted — say, looking at a phone or communicating with dispatch — that could have affected his response time or judgment. And if in-cab cameras were installed, they might show exactly what the driver was doing just before the impact.

Beyond the driver, we also have to consider the trucking company’s role. Was the driver properly trained on navigating rural intersections? Had they been on duty for too long, possibly in violation of hours-of-service regulations? Trucking companies have a legal responsibility to ensure that their drivers are competent, rested and fit for duty.

I’ve handled cases where it turned out that a driver wasn’t just having a bad day; they shouldn’t have been behind the wheel in the first place. One driver in a past case of mine had been fired from multiple prior jobs and passed a laughably brief road test before being hired. When trucking companies take shortcuts with hiring and training, the consequences can be severe.

At this stage, several major questions remain open:

• Who had the right of way? The crash report doesn’t say.
• Was either vehicle speeding or failing to yield? We don’t know.
• Did mechanical failure, distraction or fatigue play a role? There's no information yet.

The answers to those questions won’t be found in a press release. They come from a thorough investigation, not just of the crash site but of the people and companies involved.

Key Takeaways

• Determining fault hinges on who had the legal right-of-way and how each driver approached the intersection.
• Black box data, dash cams and phone records can clarify what actions were taken by the truck driver before impact.
• The trucking company’s hiring and training practices could play a role if the driver wasn’t properly qualified.
• A full investigation is necessary to establish accountability and understand how this crash occurred.
• Many critical facts remain unknown, including whether either driver violated traffic laws.