Princeton, MN (July 23, 2026) – Four people were injured on Tuesday afternoon, July 21, when a 2020 Chevrolet Trax merging onto US Highway 169 from 245th Avenue collided with a northbound 2018 Ford Ecosport in Livonia Township, according to a State Patrol report. The wreck happened around 2:39 p.m. near mile marker 167 in Sherburne County.
The EcoSport was carrying four people, all from Princeton. Driver Natasha Svetich-Plumley, 27, suffered non-life-threatening injuries. Passenger Iesha Daniels, 34, along with an 11-year-old boy and a 14-year-old boy, were also hurt and taken to Princeton Hospital.
The Trax’s driver, 69-year-old Linda Dehn-Shreeve of Princeton, and her four young passengers from Elk River were not injured. Alcohol is not believed to be a factor. The circumstances remain under review.
We hope all four injured have a full recovery.
Why Do Merging Crashes Happen at Highway On-Ramps?
Merging onto a highway asks a driver to match speed with fast-moving traffic while also judging when a gap is truly safe to enter. Even a small misjudgment in timing or speed can put a merging vehicle directly in the path of a car already on the highway.
Visibility plays a significant role as well. Curves, roadside vegetation, or a driver’s blind spot can make it harder to see an oncoming vehicle until the merge is already underway. This is part of why a merging vehicle sometimes doesn’t fully register how close another car actually is.
Highway design attempts to give drivers enough distance to accelerate and merge safely, but shorter or older on-ramps may not offer the same buffer as more modern designs. When a merge goes wrong, the vehicle already on the highway usually has little time to react, especially at higher speeds typical of a rural highway like this one.
