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A 19-year-old goalkeeper for the Division III national champion Gustavus Adolphus College women’s hockey team was killed and three of her teammates were injured in a tragic car crash in rural Minnesota on Sunday.
Jori Jones of Little Canada passed away due to injuries suffered from the collision after all four women were taken to the nearby Montevideo Hospital, according to the Minneapolis Star-Tribune
The other three women from the team in the SUV with Jones, which was driven by Gianna Gasparini, 19, survived with non-life-threatening injuries.
The crash occurred between the SUV, which was heading eastbound on Hwy. 40, and a minivan heading southbound at an intersection with Hwy. 29, about 20 miles west of Willmar, which is a two-hour drive from Minneapolis.
The state patrol told the Minneapolis Star-Tribune that one of the drivers failed to obey a stop sign, but would not specify which one.
The minivan driver, Brandi Rasmussen, 28, told the Star-Tribune that she came to a full stop at the intersection, which is a four-way stop, and was sent airborne when she was struck by the SUV.
“All of a sudden, I’m in the air, rolling and rolling and rolling,” she said.
“I didn’t even see them at all, and they clearly didn’t see me,” Rasmussen, who is recovering from a concussion, whiplash and scrapes and bruises, added. “The patrol said they are surprised they are talking to me today.”
The patrol added that everyone had been wearing a seatbelt.
The head coach of the Gustavus Adolphus women’s hockey team, Mike Carroll, told the Star-Tribune the women, who were all freshmen last season, were returning from an offseason bonding trip.
“There was sort of a caravan coming back,” Carroll said. “One of the cars came upon the [crash] scene. They were there while the paramedics pulled the athletes out of the car. The other group heard and doubled back.”
Carroll added that Jones had a “hard-working ethic that obviously came from her supportive family,” telling the Star-Tribune the team had been excited for her to gain more playing time during her sophomore season, as she served as a backup her first year.
Gustavus Adolphus, which won the Division III women’s hockey national championship in March, is set to resume classes on Sept. 5, when a representative said there would be a vigil.
Andrea Schmidt, the activities director for Roseville Area High School, where Jones played hockey, said the passing was devastating for the community.
“Jori was just an all-around fantastic person and student,” Schmidt said. “This is the type of passing that affects an entire community and will probably have a ripple effect for some time.”
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