Jimmy and Lucky Benz Involved in Multi-Vehicle Accident on Highway 169
On July 25, 2025, at approximately 3:53 p.m., a multi-vehicle collision occurred at the intersection of Highway 169 and Howard Street in Hibbing, St. Louis County, Minnesota. The incident involved four vehicles: a 2006 Chevrolet Silverado, a 2000 Ford F150, a 2018 Ford Edge, and a 2006 Ford Focus. According to the Minnesota State Patrol, the Ford Edge, Ford F150, and Ford Focus were stopped at a traffic light on southbound Highway 169 when the Chevrolet Silverado, driven by George Gordon Pellinen, 44, of Cook, Minnesota, struck the Ford Focus, initiating a chain reaction collision. Jimmy Arthur Benz, 60, of Brooklyn Park, Minnesota, was the driver of the Ford F150 and sustained non-life-threatening injuries, requiring transport to Fairview Range Medical Center in Hibbing for treatment. Lucky Ashton Benz, 16, of Hibbing, Minnesota, a passenger in the Ford F150, also sustained non-life-threatening injuries and was taken to the same medical facility. The driver of the Ford Focus, Nicholas Todd Hill, 62, of Hibbing, reported similar injuries and received medical attention at Fairview Range Medical Center. The occupants of the Ford Edge, including driver Patricia Ann Mcrae, 69, of Pengilly, Minnesota, and passengers Jean Mehle Goad, 73, of Grand Rapids, Minnesota, and Cynthia Fay Nehiba, 64, of Goodland, Minnesota, reported no injuries. All individuals involved were wearing seat belts, and alcohol was not a factor in the incident. The Hibbing Police Department and Hibbing Ambulance and Fire responded to the scene.
