Patrick Steven Remiger
Patrick Steven Remiger died in a fatal Cottonwood fire truck crash
Fatal Cottonwood fire truck crash death of Patrick Steven Remiger
A significant alteration occurred during the homecoming celebrations in southwestern Minnesota when a fire engine met with a serious accident, resulting in one fatality. The incident transpired on Friday close to sunset.
The initial reports relayed by the Yellow Medicine County Sheriff’s Office detailed that emergency personnel were dispatched to 490th Street, situated just north of 160th Avenue near Lakeview School. Upon their arrival, they found a Wood Lake fire vehicle overturned, resting precariously on its side in a drainage ditch.
Within this scene of emergency, a man was discovered trapped beneath the apparatus. Identified as Patrick Steven Remiger, who was 43 years old and a resident of Wood Lake, he was pronounced deceased at the scene due to the crash.
The driver of the apparatus was also from Wood Lake, a 37-year-old individual. The second passenger in the vehicle was a young boy, six years of age, hailing from the same community. Both of these occupants were transported to Avera Marshall Hospital, initially with critical injuries. Subsequently, the boy was airlifted for further care to Avera Sioux Falls.
An accompanying photograph shared by the Wood Lake Fire Department on social media on Saturday, the 27th of September in the year 2025, depicted the scene. Furthermore, state patrol authorities indicated that no seat belts were being worn by the individuals inside the fire engine at the moment of the collision.
Prior to the accident, the Wood Lake Fire Department had announced on their official Facebook channels that they were participating in the Lakeview homecoming parade activities. Their role included escorting cross country athletes and the ceremonial game ball from Wood Lake to Cottonwood for what was their sixth consecutive year.
The precise role the fire truck was fulfilling within the homecoming celebrations immediately preceding the collision remains uncertain.
