Crash damages Duluth church and crosswalk signal, no citations issued

A crash near Gloria Dei Lutheran Church on Duluth’s Hillside caused damage to the church building and a nearby crosswalk signal, but investigators did not issue any citations. The June 12 wreck happened at about 1:29 p.m. at 6th Avenue East and 3rd Street, a busy intersection in a corridor that has long drawn attention for traffic and pedestrian safety.

Officers and medical personnel responded after a driver said a foot briefly became stuck under the brake pedal, leading to a rear-end collision. One vehicle then continued forward and struck Gloria Dei Lutheran Church at 219 N. 6th Ave. E., while the crosswalk signal nearby was also damaged. WDIO reported that one vehicle suffered minor damage and the other had significant damage.

An officer said the church itself appeared to have only minor damage. Even so, the incident lands at a sensitive spot for the neighborhood, where 6th Avenue East has already been the focus of traffic study work by the City of Duluth and the Duluth-Superior Metropolitan Interstate Council. Community safety efforts on the corridor have stretched for more than a decade, with resurfacing planned for 2025 and longer-term reconstruction still expected several years out.

That context matters because the crash did not happen in isolation. Gloria Dei describes itself as one of the oldest Lutheran churches in Duluth and the region, and the congregation remains a visible part of the Hillside and Central Hillside neighborhoods. The church also has its own history of major damage: a fire on February 18, 2016, caused by electrical wiring, led to an estimated $900,000 in losses before reconstruction and reopening efforts.

The new damage, even if limited, reinforces a broader public-safety question for this block and the surrounding corridor. St. Louis County Public Works has said traffic signals are not safety devices on their own, and that serious crashes in Duluth and Hermantown often happen at signalized intersections. The presence of a crosswalk signal at the scene did not prevent the crash from reaching both private property and public infrastructure.

The case remained under investigation, and officials had not issued citations as of the report. For residents, churchgoers and drivers moving through 6th Avenue East, the crash is another reminder that a short stretch of street can carry long-running risks, and that repairs to both the church and the signal will sit alongside bigger questions about how this corridor is designed, repaired and made safer.