TOWER, Minn. – Five people, including four members if a Rochester family, sustained injuries in a three-vehicle accident with a moose. in northern Mjnnesota The injuries were minor – except for the moose, a young bull. The moose died on impact. The accident was about 8:40 p.m. during a blinding rain storm. Police described this sequence:
> A 2020 Kia Forte, southbound on U.S. Highway 53, struck a moose that had begun crossing the road.
> A 2022 Buick Encore, northbound, then hit the moose.
> A 2015 GMC Terrain swerved into the ditch but struck neither the other vehicles nor the moose.
Taken to hospitals with non-life threatening injures:
> Jason Christophe Dinsmore, 43, of Rochester, taken 20 miles to the Ely hospital.
> Lauren Elizabeth Dinsmore, 44, of Rochester, taken 27 miles to the Virginia hospital.
> A boy, 14, of Rochester, to the Ely hospital.
> A boy, 9, of Rochester, to the Ely hospital.
> Anne Roberta Dinsmore, 64, of Howell, Michigan, to the Ely hospital.
Windshield impact. Roof of vehicle caved in. Collision 45 miles north of Duluth.
Moose profile
The Minnesota moose population is about 3,300, according to the state Natural Resources Department. The estimate 10 years ago was 4,700. Moose have bad eyesight and rely heavily on a sense of smell and hearing. The moose is Minnesota’s largest wild animal. They are born about 30 pounds and grow to 300 to 400 pounds in a few months, Adult bulls average six feet tall and weigh as much as 1,400 pounds.