72-year-old woman critically injured in 90 mph crash in Embarrass Township

A 72-year-old Babbitt woman was critically injured after a high-speed crash on St. Louis County Highway 21 in Embarrass Township, a wreck that sent her to a local hospital first and then by air ambulance to another hospital because of the seriousness of her injuries.

Deputies were called to the 5600 block of Highway 21 about 7 p.m. Monday after the one-vehicle crash. The St. Louis County Sheriff's Office said the preliminary investigation estimated the woman was traveling about 90 mph when she lost control of the vehicle and went into the ditch.

The sheriff’s office said the crash remained under investigation. Officials did not immediately say what caused the vehicle to leave the roadway, and they did not release additional details about the woman’s condition beyond saying she was critical.

The crash stands out on a road that serves as a key corridor through the Iron Range and the Embarrass Township area. Highway 21 carries local traffic across a rural stretch where there is little margin for error, and the difference between a controlled drive and a life-threatening emergency can be measured in seconds.

Highway 21 has also been the site of other serious crashes in Embarrass Township. In August 2025, St. Louis County reported a single-vehicle rollover in a construction zone on the same highway, involving a driver who was traveling southbound and failed to navigate a left turn after realizing the road was closed for construction.

Minnesota Department of Transportation mapping shows County State Aid Highway 21 running through Embarrass Township. MnDOT also uses annual average daily traffic, or AADT, to estimate how many vehicles use a road in both directions on an average day, a measurement that helps put rural-road crash exposure in perspective even when traffic is lighter than on urban highways.

For families across Babbitt, Embarrass Township and the surrounding Iron Range, the crash is a blunt reminder that a rural county road can become dangerous in an instant when speed, roadway conditions and driver control collide.