Sanjuana Renteria Suffers Life-Threatening Injuries in Crash on Highway 65 in Freeborn County
On August 20, 2025, a serious motor vehicle collision occurred on U.S. Highway 65 near 110th Street in Shell Rock Township, Freeborn County, Minnesota. A 2007 Ford Explorer carrying four occupants collided with a northbound 2012 Freightliner Cascadia semi-truck under dry road conditions. The Minnesota State Patrol confirmed that the Ford Explorer, driven by 33-year-old Perla Janeth Garcia Renteria of Albert Lea, was traveling north when the crash took place.
Among the passengers was 53-year-old Sanjuana Renteria, also of Albert Lea, who sustained life-threatening injuries and was transported to Albert Lea Hospital. A 4-year-old male passenger was airlifted to St. Mary’s Hospital in Rochester with similarly critical injuries. Two other passengers, including a 19-year-old female, were also injured. None of the occupants of the Ford Explorer were wearing seat belts. The semi-truck driver, 74-year-old Mark Eugene Byers of Austin, was uninjured. Emergency response involved multiple agencies, including Mayo Ambulance and air medical transport.
