Three hospitalized after Highway 53 crash in Canosia Township
Three people were hospitalized after a three-vehicle crash at Highway 53 and Midway Road in Canosia Township, where a State Patrol squad car was also hit.
Three people were taken to the hospital after a three-vehicle crash at Highway 53 and Midway Road in Canosia Township, a collision that also struck a Minnesota State Patrol squad car stopped at the red light. The St. Louis County Sheriff’s Office said the crash happened just before 1 p.m. June 15 and involved a southbound vehicle on Highway 53 that began turning north onto Midway Road, then was hit by a northbound vehicle on Highway 53.
The three people in the northbound car were injured and transported to the hospital with injuries described as non-life-threatening. Investigators said the crash remained under review, and they did not say whether any citations had been issued. Even without life-threatening injuries, the wreck disrupted one of St. Louis County’s key north-south corridors, where Highway 53 carries commuters, freight traffic and emergency vehicles through the Duluth, Hermantown and Canosia travel area.
The crash also adds to concern around a crossing that has already drawn repeated safety attention. St. Louis County’s Midway Road Corridor Study specifically includes US 53 at Midway Road as a focus intersection, with input from MnDOT, the Minnesota State Patrol, St. Louis County, Canosia Township, the City of Hermantown, the City of Proctor, Hermantown Schools, the Duluth-Superior Metropolitan Interstate Council, local businesses and the general public. That kind of planning backdrop suggests officials already view the corridor as more than a routine traffic pinch point.
A similar three-vehicle crash at Highway 53 and Midway Road in December 2025 also left two people hurt, reinforcing the sense that the intersection has recurring problems. Nearby, St. Louis County is already moving ahead with a 2026 safety project at Midway Road and North Cloquet Road in Midway Township, where officials found seven reported crashes from 2021 through 2025, a crash rate of 0.460 per million entering vehicles and a hill south of the intersection that limits sight distance. Planned fixes there include lowering Midway Road by about 10 feet, adding left- and right-turn lanes, installing roadway lighting and replacing guardrail, with the roads scheduled to close from June 8 through Aug. 28. That work shows county officials are already treating Midway Road intersections as a safety priority, and the Highway 53 crash is likely to keep pressure on whether more engineering or enforcement changes are needed at the crossing.
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