The North Dakota Highway Patrol has identified two individuals who were involved in a fatal crash and law enforcement pursuit on Wednesday, May 19.
Randy Cole, 31, was killed in the crash with a semi-truck following a high-speed police chase on Interstate 29 south of Grand Forks. He was pronounced dead on scene. Elena Fladeland, 24, was seriously injured in the crash and taken to Sanford Hospital in Fargo by FM Ambulance for her injuries. There was no permanent address listed for neither Cole nor Fladeland.
The crash, which remains under investigation by the Highway Patrol, occurred late Wednesday morning. The Grand Forks County Sheriff's Office deputies on patrol on I-29 between Thompson and Reynolds spotted a vehicle that was reported stolen just minutes prior in Grand Forks, according to a release from the Grand Forks Sheriff’s Office.
An attempted traffic stop on the vehicle led to it fleeing southbound at speeds more than 100 mph, according to a release by the Grand Forks County Sheriff's Office.
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Law enforcement attempted to stop the vehicle with spike strips, however, the vehicle continued to flee at a high rate of speed while driving on its rims, the release said.
The 2005 Pontiac Grand Prix entered a two-lane construction zone just south of Hillsboro in Traill County, where it crossed over the centerline, into oncoming traffic and crashed head-on into a northbound semi, the North Dakota Highway Patrol said in a report.
The collision caused the semi to veer off the roadway to the right, cross the median and come to rest in the northbound lanes that were under construction. The Pontiac came to rest across the southbound roadway, facing east, NDHP said.
The crash report from NDHP says neither were wearing seatbelts.
The driver of the semi, 24-year-old Amirtpal Singh, of Winnipeg, Manitoba, had minor injuries and was transported by Hillsboro Ambulance to the Sanford Hillsboro Medical Center, where he was treated and released, according to NDHP. Singh was wearing his seatbelt, the release said.
The Grand Forks Police Department is investigating the stolen vehicle incident involving the Pontiac. The Grand Forks County Sheriff’s Office initiated the pursuit and was the primary agency involved until the crash occurred.
