On March 4, 2026, at approximately 7:35 a.m., the Stearns County Emergency Communications Center received a report of a crash at the intersection of County Road 42 and County Road 161 in Farming Township, approximately 4.5 miles north of the City of Richmond.
The caller reported that a flatbed-style propane truck was in the ditch and resting on a power box, with the driver still inside the vehicle.
Upon arrival, an officer from the Cold Spring/Richmond Police Department located a Wenners Gas Company propane truck leaking propane. The driver was trapped inside the vehicle and sustained injuries in the crash. The vehicle involved was a 2016 Freightliner straight-axle truck equipped with a propane tank.
The Chain of Lakes Fire and Rescue Department extricated the driver from the truck. Paynesville Ambulance transported the driver to St. Cloud Hospital with injuries that are unknown at this time.
Preliminary investigation indicates the truck was traveling northbound on County Road 161 approaching County Road 42. Due to heavy fog in the area, it appears the T-intersection came up more quickly than anticipated. The driver attempted to make a left turn to travel westbound on County Road 42, causing the truck to roll onto its side and slid into the ditch, striking a power box and several trees.
Stearns Electric was contacted and shut off power to the affected area due to the propane leak and the truck resting on the power box. Because of the amount of propane being transported, roadways in the area will remain closed for an extended period to allow the propane to safely dissipate before the vehicle can be removed.
The following road closures are in effect:
County Road 42 from County Road 9 to 218th Avenue
County Road 161 at 260th Street (no northbound traffic permitted)
Motorists are advised to avoid the area.
Assisting the Stearns County Sheriff’s Office were the Cold Spring/Richmond Police Department, Minnesota State Patrol, Chain of Lakes Fire and Rescue Department, Paynesville Ambulance, and Stearns Electric.
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