Otter Tail County, MN — July 6, 2025, Zoe Kritzberger and John Honer were injured in a truck accident at about 4:05 p.m. on State Highway 78 south of Perham.
Authorities said a 2006 Peterbilt semi-truck and a 2007 Toyota Camry collided while one of them was trying to make a U-turn near Fort Thunder Road. It is not clear which one was trying to turn around at the time of the crash.
Toyota driver Zoe Ann Kritzberger, 25, and truck driver John Kenneth Honer, 22, suffered non-life-threatening injuries in the crash, according to authorities, but only North Dakota resident Zoe Kritzberger was hospitalized.
Authorities have not released any additional information about the Otter Tail County crash at this time.
Commentary by Attorney Michael Grossman
When people read about a crash where a car and an 18-wheeler collided during a U-turn, the first thing many want to know is: What was the truck doing in the middle of a turn across traffic? In this case, authorities haven’t said whether it was the car or the semi-truck that attempted the U-turn, and that’s a major unanswered question. It’s not just about curiosity; it goes directly to understanding how this happened and who may be responsible.
From my experience litigating truck crash cases, I can say that U-turns involving large commercial vehicles are rarely simple. If the truck was the one turning, then we need to know: Was it a legal place for a U-turn? Could the driver see far enough to safely attempt it? Did the maneuver block both lanes? Depending on the answers, that decision may have violated basic safety protocols, and possibly traffic laws.
If, on the other hand, the smaller car attempted the turn, different issues come into play. Was the truck going too fast to react in time? Was it distracted or too close to stop? These questions don’t have answers yet, but they highlight why it’s so important to investigate quickly and thoroughly.
Right now, we’re told that only the car’s driver was hospitalized, even though both drivers were reportedly injured. That doesn’t tell us much on its own, but it suggests a difference in the severity of impact. A deeper investigation should look at the physical damage to each vehicle, the location of the crash on the road and, crucially, whether the truck’s black box (engine control module) or any in-cab cameras captured what happened. That data can show speed, braking and steering inputs down to the second, helping clarify who turned, when and how fast the other was moving.
It also wouldn’t surprise me if cell phone records become relevant. If either driver was using their phone around the time of the crash, that changes the story entirely. Too often, we find these cases come down to a single moment of distraction, and those moments are usually documented if someone knows where to look.
One more angle to keep in mind: What do we know about the truck driver’s history? Just because someone has a commercial license doesn’t mean they were properly trained or vetted. I’ve seen companies hire drivers with a string of prior firings or safety violations simply because they needed someone behind the wheel. If that turns out to be true here, the trucking company may have its own share of accountability.
Key Takeaways:
- It’s unclear who attempted the U-turn, but that detail is critical to understanding fault.
- Evidence like black box data, dash cams and phone records can help reconstruct the moment of impact.
- If the truck made the turn, investigators must ask whether it was safe and legally allowed.
- The truck driver’s training and employment history may also play a role in determining liability.
- A thorough investigation is the only way to uncover who made what decision, and whether it was the right one.
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