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Four-car accident on Highway 75 sends teen to hospital

By Lori EhdeA 16-year-old Luverne girl is recuperating from injuries she received in a four-car accident Friday afternoon.Stephanie Steensma was northbound on Highway 75 near Luverne High School when she stopped behind a pickup that was waiting for a van to turn left on Dodge Street.According to the accident report, a Mack truck coming from the south failed to slow for the stopped traffic. It rear-ended her 1998 Saturn, slamming it into the Dodge pickup in front of her.In a chain reaction, the pickup, driven by Luverne’s Terry Schneekloth, then rear-ended the van, driven by Denise Ernst, Luverne.Steensma, who had been wearing her seatbelt, was taken by Rock County Ambulance to Sioux Valley Luverne Hospital, where she was treated for minor injuries and released on Saturday.According to her grandfather, Andy Steensma, she’s stiff and sore, and she’ll be monitored for possible back injuries."She keeps finding glass in her hair," he said. "But she’s very fortunate to be alive."According to the report, none of the other drivers involved in the accident were injured.The report stated that Ernst had her left turn signal activated.The driver of the Mack truck, 44-year-old Douglas Donald Mathias, Worthington, was cited for failure to drive with due care.

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