Bird Island man killed in crash Friday in rural Hector

HECTOR - Authorities have named the driver who was killed Friday afternoon in a two-vehicle crash at a rural intersection northeast of Hector.
According to a news release from the Renville County Sheriff’s Office, Richard Strey, 61, of Bird Island, died in the crash. He was initially trapped in the vehicle and needed to be extricated. Strey was removed from the vehicle and later pronounced dead at the scene.
The other driver, Shaina Walstrom, 19, of Hector, suffered minor injuries, according to the Sheriff’s Office, and was treated and released from Hutchinson Health.
Both drivers were believed to be wearing their seatbelts at the time of the crash, the Sheriff’s Office said.
The accident was reported about 3 p.m. Friday at the intersection of 850th Avenue and 510th Street in Brookfield Township, seven miles northeast of Hector. Sheriff’s deputies located a 2004 Chevrolet Monte Carlo and a 1995 Chrysler Concorde that had collided at the intersection prior to entering the ditch.
The Sheriff’s Office said the preliminary investigation revealed that the Monte Carlo driven by Walstrom was traveling north on 510th Street when it struck the Concorde driven by Strey broadside in the intersection. He had been traveling west on 850th Avenue.
The accident remains under investigation by the Renville County Sheriff’s Office and the Minnesota State Patrol.
Assisting with the crash was the Buffalo Lake Ambulance Service, Buffalo Lake Police Department, Hector Fire and Rescue, The Minnesota State Patrol, and Life Link III Helicopter.