One injured in Friday semi crash

Granite Falls firefighters extricate livestock from trailer

GRANITE FALLS -- A Marshall woman was injured, and several dozen hogs had to be corralled after a semi crash at the intersection of Highway 212 and Highway 23 in Granite Falls Friday morning. The Granite Falls Fire Department said firefighters cut open the semi trailer to extricate animals from the lower section of the trailer.

The crash was reported around 9:30 a.m. Friday, the Minnesota State Patrol said. A 1996 Kenworth tractor driven by Ida Rose Asche, 38, of Marshall, was southbound on Highway 23, crossed over on Highway 212 and went into the ditch, the State Patrol said. Asche was taken to the Granite Falls hospital with non life-threatening injuries.

In a news release Tuesday, the Granite Falls Fire Department said firefighters were requested to respond at the crash scene with a livestock emergency response trailer. Granite Falls is one of seven southern Minnesota fire departments with livestock response trailers developed by the Minnesota Pork Board in cooperation with Region 5 Minnesota Emergency Management and a grant from the Department of Homeland Security. The trailers are available in the event of a livestock truck rollover.

"We help where they call us to help," said Granite Falls Fire Chief Ryan Haar.

In a livestock truck rollover, the fire department would first help any people involved in the crash, Haar said. Then, firefighters set up corral panels and help herd surviving livestock away from the highway, where they can be kept safe until a relief trailer arrives.

On Friday, the fire department cut the rear of the semi trailer open, to get live animals out of the lower section, Haar said. After the crash, multiple agencies corralled and loaded several dozen surviving market hogs for transport.

Haar said the response to Friday's crash went very quickly. "We had a lot of help from law enforcement," he said.

The Granite Falls Fire Department, Granite Falls Ambulance, Granite Falls Police, the Yellow Medicine County Sheriff's Office and the Chippewa County Sheriff's Office all responded at the crash scene.