2 New Prague students killed in crash outside Renaissance Festival

Two 17-year-old students from the New Prague School District died in a single-car crash on the Minnesota Renaissance Festival service road Saturday morning, the Scott County sheriff’s office confirmed. The accident happened just before 7 a.m. on the access road just west of Highway 41.

The two girls were found unresponsive and both had suffered “substantial trauma.” Shakopee firefighters were able to extricate the driver and airlift her to Hennepin County Medical Center, but her life could not be saved. The passenger was declared dead at the scene.

Drugs and alcohol are not believed to be factors. At this time it appears that neither the driver nor the passenger was wearing their seatbelt.   

The Scott County sheriff's office said the preliminary investigation determined the car was traveling west on the gravel service road from Highway 41 when it left the roadway.  The passenger side of the vehicle collided with the tress between the road and the railroad tracks.

This incident is being investigated by the Scott County Sheriff’s Office, the Minnesota State Patrol and the Hennepin County Medical Examiner’s Office.