Officials have released the names of the drivers involved in a crash between a pickup truck and a semi that killed four people earlier this week in Pine County.
The Pine County Sheriff's Office said Friday that Nikko Jensen, 21, was the driver and sole survivor among five people riding in a westbound pickup truck that apparently turned left in front of an eastbound semi Tuesday evening at the corner of Rutabaga and Clark roads near Askov.
Officials said Jensen was taken to Essentia Health-St. Mary's Medical Center in Duluth after the crash; the Minneapolis Star Tribune reported that he has since been released from the hospital.
The driver of the semi, Dennis Sostak, 50, of Askov, was not injured, and officials said there is no indication of any negligence on his part. He was driving an empty gravel-hauling truck for a local company at the time of the crash.
Four people in the pickup were killed in the crash: Arden Edwards, 58, of Bruno; Brett Larson, 21, of Sandstone; and Felicity Jensen, 17, of Bruno, all died at the scene. Catherine Peterson, 20, of Askov, died after being airlifted to a hospital.
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Edwards was seated in the pickup's passenger seat, officials said; it is not yet known where Jensen, Larson and Peterson were seated, although two people were seated in the bed of the pickup. Officials said Nikko and Felicity Jensen are brother and sister, and Edwards is their uncle.
The Sheriff's Office said there is no indication of alcohol use by either driver. The Minnesota State Patrol is conducting an accident reconstruction, and the crash remains under investigation.
