Farmington driver, 17, dies after being rear-ended, pushed into oncoming traffic, officials say

Pioneer Press
·1 min read

A Farmington teen was killed Saturday afternoon when his car was rear-ended at an intersection and pushed into oncoming traffic, authorities say.

Rodrigo Leon Dooley, 17, was driving east in a Toyota Corolla sedan on 160th Street East in rural Dakota County shortly before 2:30 p.m., when he slowed down to make a left turn at Freeborn Avenue, according to information released by the Minnesota State Patrol.

The driver of a Jeep Grand Cherokee, 49-year-old Gina Lynn Jermasek of Hastings, rear-ended Dooley and pushed his vehicle into the westbound lanes of 160th Street, where the teen was struck head-on by a Dodge Grand Caravan driven by 25-year-old Steven Anthony Lutchen of Newport, the State Patrol said.

Dooley, who was wearing a seat belt at the time of the crash, was ejected from his car by the impact, the State Patrol said. He died at the scene.

Jermasek and a passenger in Lutchen’s van suffered non-life-threatening injuries in the crash and were taken to Regions Hospital in St. Paul.

Farmington Public Schools Superintendent Jason Berg told KSTP-TV that Dooley was a senior at Farmington High School and had been a student in the district since kindergarten.

“This loss will be felt throughout our district as Rodrigo had many connections across the three buildings he attended,” Berg told the station.

The roadway was dry at the time of the crash and alcohol was not a factor, said the State Patrol, which is the investigating agency.

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