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The Minnesota State Patrol said a 24-year-old St. Paul woman was killed when the ambulance she was riding in crashed into the back of a semi truck that had broken down on the side of Interstate 694 in Brooklyn Center Monday night.


The state patrol identified the paramedic as Marina G. DeSteno-Challeen.  She was in the passenger seat of a HealthEast ambulance driven by Susanna G. Kelly, 27. Kelly was taken to North Memorial Health Hospital and was expected to survive her injuries. DeSteno-Challeen was pronounced dead at the scene of the crash. 

Both were wearing seat belts and the state patrol says alcohol was not involved. 

Paramedic dies after ambulance rear-ends stalled semi

The ambulance was on its way from Monticello to Minneapolis when it tried to merge onto Interstate 94 from 694 and hit a semi pulled over in the "apex" of the two major highways around 7 p.m. It was not carrying a patient at the time and did not have siren or lights on.


The driver of the semi, Paulette A. Mejia, 44 of Temple, Georgia, was not injured. A tow truck was attempting to move the truck which had been stalled for around 15 minutes, a state patrol spokesperson said Monday.

MPR News Staff

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The state patrol said Marina G. DeSteno-Challeen, 24, died.  She was in the passenger seat of a HealthEast ambulance driven by Susanna G. Kelly, 27.

Paramedic killed after ambulance crashes into semi.

State Patrol identifies paramedics in interstate crash with semi

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