Ashlyn Donner and Bailey Pattison injured in 1-vehicle rollover near Courtland

NICOLLET COUNTY, Minn. — Ashlyn Donner, 20, and Bailey Pattison, 21, were injured Jan. 2 in a one-vehicle rollover accident north of Courtland.

The vehicle Donner was driving rolled over near the intersection of county roads 12 and 21 just before 6:30 a.m. for unknown reasons, according to the Nicollet County Sheriff’s Office.

Donner, a New Ulm resident, was transported with injuries to the Mayo Clinic Health System hospital in Mankato but was later airlifted to St. Mary’s hospital in Rochester for treatment.

Pattison, a Florida resident who was traveling with Donner, was taken to the New Ulm Medical Center for treatment of her injuries.

Authorities have not released additional information about factors contributing to the crash or updates on the passengers’ conditions.

Commentary on the rollover accident in Nicollet County, Minnesota

Little information has been released concerning this accident, and we are left with many unanswered questions. Rollover accidents generally follow a similar sequence. The driver loses control of the vehicle, overcorrects, and initiates the roll sequence. Once control of the vehicle has been lost, it is difficult for even the most experienced drivers to regain control and navigate the vehicle to safety.

Fortunately, modern vehicles are equipped with safety features designed to lessen the risk of rollover. Some of these features include anti-lock brake systems and electronic stability controls. Cars have been equipped with these safety features for over two decades, and their advent has significantly reduced rollover accidents.

It is crucial for those involved to have the vehicle inspected to determine if its safety features performed correctly in this accident. This includes those features designed to prevent rollovers and those designed to lessen the likelihood of injury in the event of a rollover. My firm consistently represents clients whose injuries would have been prevented had the vehicle been adequately designed and manufactured.

I am grateful that this accident spared the lives of these two young women and hope for a full and speedy recovery.

Disclaimer: All information contained within this post was compiled from public sources or constitutes the author’s opinion. Please inform us immediately if you identify any false or misleading information.