STARK COUNTY, N.D. — A fatal multi-vehicle crash involving a 50 year-old Dickinson woman and a 36 year-old Milwaukee man occurred on Interstate 94 at approximately 1:25 a.m. Monday.
North Dakota Highway Patrol officials identified the woman in a press release Tuesday as Tana Marie Johnson. She was driving a 2012 Buick Enclave, and was pronounced dead at the scene. The truck driver, Demetrius Arnez Chambers, suffered no injuries.
According to first responders, both drivers were wearing their seatbelts at the time of the accident. Johnson’s body was transported by the Stark County Coroner to the state medical examiner’s office in Bismarck for a standard autopsy examination.
The semi-truck was traveling westbound on I-94, 11 miles east of Dickinson, near Gladstone, N.D. Amid conditions of heavy fog and patches of ice on the road, the driver jackknifed his rig, a 2020 Freightliner, into the median closest to mile marker 75. The woman, also westbound, drove under and hit the trailer on its left rear side.
The crash remains under investigation by the North Dakota Highway Patrol. Other responding agencies included the Dickinson Rural Fire Department, Stark County Sheriff’s Department, Richardton Fire Dept, Taylor Fire Dept and North Dakota Department of Transportation.
Authorities urge drivers to exercise caution when traveling interstates and highways, while checking road conditions during periods of inclement weather. This can be done by calling 511 or downloading the NDRoads smartphone application.
A GoFundMe page was created to help Johnson’s family with funeral expenses. It had already raised more than $15,000 by Tuesday afternoon. The post explained that she did not have life insurance so any money left after the funeral will be used to help her three devestated children.
“Tana had just started a new career, that she absolutely loved however did not have life insurance. Tana was one of a kind… To know her was to love her,” the page states. “Her quick wit, loving heart and endless giving was a treasure to her family, friends and our community. Please help us honor her and ease the financial burden of celebrating her life.”