Bradley Kostiuk Escapes Serious Injury in Lafayette Bluff Tunnel Incident

On June 18, 2025, at 15:58, an injury incident (ICR: 25271149) occurred in the Lafayette Bluff Tunnel, Silver Creek Township, Lake County, Minnesota. A 2005 Daimler Chrysler Sprinter Van, driven by Patches Magickbeans, 34, of Milwaukee, Wisconsin, was traveling northbound on Highway 61 within a traffic-controlled single-lane construction zone. The vehicle deviated into the closed construction lane inside the tunnel, striking multiple orange barrels and colliding with a scissor lift extended to the tunnel’s ceiling. Two workers were on the scissor lift at the time: Benjamin John Kidd, 27, of Duluth, Minnesota, and Bradley Nicholas Kostiuk, 37, also of Duluth, Minnesota.

During the collision, Bradley Nicholas Kostiuk managed to pull himself to safety by grabbing a lighting fixture and lifting himself up as the scissor lift fell. He sustained non-life-threatening injuries and did not require hospitalization. The other worker, Benjamin John Kidd, fell to the ground and sustained life-threatening injuries, as did the driver, Patches Magickbeans. Both were transported by EMS helicopter to Essentia Health for treatment.