Two injured in Otter Tail County off-highway vehicle rollover crash

A homemade off-highway vehicle rolled over in a muddy Otter Tail County field and threw two Fergus Falls residents from the machine, leaving both seriously injured and the driver pinned briefly under the roll bar.

The crash was reported just before 7 p.m. Saturday, April 18, on private property in Otter Tail County, according to the Otter Tail County Sheriff’s Office. The driver and a passenger were riding in the vehicle when it tipped and rolled over. Neither person was wearing a seat belt, and both were ejected in the crash.

The driver, Jeffrey Rutten, 38, of Fergus Falls, was pinned for a time under the vehicle’s roll bar before witnesses were able to lift the vehicle enough to free him. The passenger, Jennifer Anderson, 29, also of Fergus Falls, was ejected as the vehicle rolled. Both suffered serious injuries.

Emergency responders from the Elizabeth Fire Department and Ringdahl Ambulance were called to the scene. Rutten and Anderson were taken to Lake Region Healthcare in Fergus Falls for treatment.

The sheriff’s office said the vehicle involved was homemade and was being driven in a muddy field. That combination of rough terrain, soft ground and missing restraints turned the rollover into a high-risk crash with immediate consequences for both people inside the vehicle.

The incident fits a pattern state officials continue to track across Minnesota. The Minnesota Department of Natural Resources keeps incident reports on off-highway vehicle crashes, including rollover and personal-injury cases, and the agency said Minnesota recorded a record number of OHV fatalities in 2024. State crash reports have long shown that overturns, rollovers and injury crashes remain a major part of the danger on ATVs and other off-highway vehicles.

For Otter Tail County riders, the April 18 crash is a blunt reminder that seat belts, vehicle stability and terrain all matter in an instant. In spring, when fields turn soft and traction changes quickly, a rollover can become a life-threatening event within seconds, especially when riders are not restrained and are thrown clear of the vehicle.