Authorities have released additional details of a four-vehicle crash from Thursday morning on U.S. Highway 71 south of Auburn. According to the Carroll County Sheriff’s Office, the accident occurred at approximately 8:54 a.m. near the 110th Street intersection. Law enforcement says road construction in the area caused northbound traffic to come to a complete stop. A northbound 2007 Freightliner, driven by 47-year-old William Ray Richards of Coon Rapids and owned by Carroll Refuse Service, failed to notice the stationary traffic ahead and collided with the rear of a 2014 Toyota Rav4, operated by 29-year-old Courtney Lynn Schreck of Carroll. The collision pushed the Schreck vehicle into a 2018 Toyota Avalon, driven by 69-year-old Thomas George Baumeister of Carroll. That vehicle was then pushed into a trailer pulled by a 2005 Ford F150, operated by 57-year-old Russel J. Leuschen of Omaha, Neb. Schreck was transported to Stewart Memorial Community Hospital in Lake City by Carroll County Emergency Medical Services for treatment of injuries sustained in the crash. A passenger in the Baumeister vehicle, 65-year-old Anita Marie Baumeister, was taken to St. Anthony Regional Hospital. Over $55,000 in damage was reported across the four vehicles involved. Richards was cited for failure to reduce speed to a reasonable and proper rate.
