A St. Louis County judge signed a search warrant on Wednesday, August 14, to take a blood sample from the driver of the semi-truck involved in the fatal crash on Highway 2.

The arrest warrant application states that a witness driving behind the semi-trailer observed the truck crossing lane markings for several kilometers before the accident.

The motion also states that the officer who requested the search warrant observed the driver in the emergency room after the accident. He appeared dazed and lethargic, his reaction times were slower than normal and he could not remember anything that happened before the accident.

The accident, which also occurred on August 14, occurred in Arrowhead Township south of Floodwood, near Nelson Road. The Minnesota State Patrol said the accident happened just before 3 p.m. near a construction site.

Five vehicles were involved. The first four – a GMC Acadia, a Ford Escape, a Mack Semi and a Honda Pilot – were stopped in traffic due to construction. The State Patrol says an International Semi traveling at highway speeds collided with the stationary vehicles.

According to a State Patrol report, 65-year-old Vincent Dow and 66-year-old Bonnie Dow and two 9-year-old girls, Hope Oakgrove and Charlotte White, all of Blackduck, Minnesota, were killed in a Honda Pilot.

The driver of the International tractor-trailer is a 63-year-old from Grand Rapids and was treated at St. Luke’s Hospital for non-life-threatening injuries. The driver of the Mack CX tractor-trailer is a 45-year-old from Rochester and suffered non-life-threatening injuries. The passenger of the Ford Escape is from Grand Rapids and was treated at Cloquet Memorial Hospital for non-life-threatening injuries.

The St. Louis County Sheriff’s Office, Arrowhead Response & Fire Department, Floodwood Ambulance, Police & Fire Department, St. Louis County Rescue, Cloquet Ambulance and Life Link EMS assisted.

This accident is still under investigation by the Minnesota State Patrol.