Passenger injured in two-vehicle crash near Perham, on Highway 78

A passenger was injured in a two-vehicle crash on the south edge of Perham when two Jeep SUVs collided while heading south on Highway 78 near Highway 10 at about 9:15 a.m. Wednesday, July 1. Cynthia Sawyer, 69, of Deer Creek was taken to Perham Health with non-life-threatening injuries. The drivers of both vehicles were not hurt.

Perham Fire and Ambulance assisted the Minnesota State Patrol at the scene, underscoring how quickly a collision at a main approach to town can bring in local responders. The crash happened where Highway 78 carries traffic into and out of Perham, a stretch used for commuting, errands and travel toward Ottertail and Otter Tail Lake.

The vehicles were a 2018 Jeep Compass and a 2000 Jeep Grand Cherokee, both traveling southbound when they collided. The crash report did not identify a cause or assign fault, and no enforcement finding was included in the account of the wreck.

The scene also falls within a corridor MnDOT is actively studying. The agency is examining Highway 78 from Highway 10 in Perham through downtown Ottertail and along Otter Tail Lake, with a focus on safety for drivers, bicyclists and pedestrians. That study also looks at intersection safety and pedestrian connections and accessibility along the route, which is part of the Otter Tail Scenic Byway.

Recent injury crashes have kept attention on the highway. A June crash on Highway 78 in Perham Township injured a 6-year-old New York Mills girl, and a May crash near West Coney Street and County Highway 34 injured a 16-year-old girl. Together with Wednesday’s collision, those wrecks show how the Perham-to-Ottertail corridor continues to pose risks where through traffic, local access and turning movements meet.