One Killed, Two Critical in Wood Lake, MN, Fire Apparatus Rollover

A 6-year-old was seriously injured when the Wood Lake fire truck ended up in a ditch and police say alcohol was involved.

Sept. 28, 2025

2 min read

Star Tribune staff
Star Tribune
(TNS)

A passenger in a southwestern Minnesota firetruck died after the vehicle rolled into a ditch Friday night near Cottonwood, Minn.

The Wood Lake Volunteer Fire Department truck, traveling north on 490th Street with three people on board, rolled off the road and onto its side near 160th Avenue at about 6:40 p.m., according to the State Patrol.

Rescue crews found Patrick Steven Remiger, 43, trapped beneath the truck when they arrived, according to the State Patrol and Yellow Medicine County Sheriff’s Office. Remiger, of Wood Lake, Minn., died at the scene.

Two others in the truck — driver Andrew Vanhecke, 37, and his 6-year-old son Beaux, both of Wood Lake — were taken to Avera Marshall Regional Medical Center in Marshall with life-threatening injuries, authorities said. They were later flown to Avera McKennan Hospital in Sioux Falls.

According to the State Patrol, driver Vanhecke had been drinking and none of the three was wearing a seat belt. No other vehicles were involved in the crash, according to early reports.

The Wood Lake firetruck and the three occupants had been in Cottonwood participating in the annual Lakeview High School homecoming festivities, according to the State Patrol. The fire department had escorted the school’s cross country teammates as they ran the game ball nearly 10 miles to Cottonwood for the football game and took part in the homecoming parade.