Shane Loughney Dies in Fatal Crash Due to Distracted Driving in Washington County

On May 14, 2025, a fatal collision occurred in Denmark Township, Washington County, resulting in the death of Shane Joseph Loughney, 48. According to a search warrant affidavit, a truck driver admitted to being distracted while looking at a map and a GPS unit, causing him to run a stop sign and collide with Loughney’s vehicle. The incident involved a semitrailer traveling northbound on Minnesota 95 at highway speeds, which T-boned Loughney’s eastbound pickup as he attempted to turn left onto the highway from 70th Street. The impact also caused both vehicles to collide with another pickup. Loughney was transported to Regions Hospital with life-threatening injuries and succumbed to those injuries on Saturday, May 17, 2025.

The truck driver, a 27-year-old man, informed a State Patrol sergeant that he was “at fault for the crash” due to his distraction from using both his phone’s maps and a separate GPS unit.