Driver says brakes failed before T-bone crash: Sheriff’s Office

ALBANY TWP., Minn. (FOX 9) - A driver involved in a crash on Feb. 4 in Albany Township says the brakes in his vehicle failed to work in the moments leading up to the collision that launched another vehicle several hundred yards.

Albany Township crash

What we know:

Around 6:09 p.m. on Feb. 4, the Stearns County Emergency Communications Center says it received a report of a crash with injuries near the intersection of County Road 10 and 360th Street in Albany Township.

Upon arrival at the scene, Stearns County Sheriff’s Office Deputies learned a blue 2007 Ford Fusion driven by a 19-year-old man from Cold Spring was traveling eastbound on 360th Street, when he ran the stop sign at 360th Street and County Road 10.

Johnson told authorities that his brakes failed, and he could not stop, when he struck a 2022 Jeep Cherokee driven by a 54-year-old woman from Holdingford, as she was traveling northbound on County Road 10 – resulting in a T-bone style collision.

Platz’s vehicle was struck on the driver’s side rear door, causing the vehicle to, "launch into a field a few hundred yards northeast of the intersection," authorities said.

Platz was transported to the Melrose Hospital for treatment of her injuries, while Johnson was treated at the scene. 

The crash remains under investigation.

What we don't know:

Authorities have not yet indicated whether alcohol is believed to be a factor, or the speed the driver was potentially traveling at in the moments before the crash.