Two St. Cloud officers hospitalized after squad cars collide on emergency call

Two St. Cloud police officers needed hospital care after their squad cars collided while they were responding to an emergency call Tuesday evening. Both suffered injuries described as non-life-threatening, but by early Wednesday there was no verified update on whether either had been discharged or how their recovery was progressing. ^{1 3}

The crash happened at 5:44 p.m. on October 20, 2026, at 12th Avenue South and Highway 23 in St. Cloud, Minnesota, according to police statements reported by KNSI. The intersection closed for investigation and cleanup and had reopened by Wednesday morning. What brought the two emergency-response vehicles into collision remained unresolved. ¹

KNSI reported that Mayo Clinic Ambulance took both officers to CentraCare–St. Cloud Hospital. Their specific injuries and names were not established in the available reporting. “Non-life-threatening” is the confirmed description of their injuries; it should not be read as confirmation that the injuries were minor, that treatment had ended or that either officer was ready to return to duty. ¹

The Minnesota State Patrol supplied an account of the vehicles’ movements. As reported by KNSI, one officer was driving westbound on 1st Street South. The other turned from 12th Avenue South onto westbound 1st Street South, and the two squads collided. That gives a sequence of movements, not a finding of responsibility. ¹

The location descriptions also require care. Police identified the crash intersection as 12th Avenue South and Highway 23, while the State Patrol’s movement account used the name 1st Street South. The available reporting does not independently establish the relationship between those road names. It would go beyond that account to draw a more detailed reconstruction of the vehicles’ paths. ¹

Airbags deployed in both squads, and both drivers were wearing seat belts, according to the State Patrol account carried by KNSI. Those are confirmed details about the vehicles’ safety equipment and its use, but they do not establish the speed of either squad or explain why the collision occurred. ¹

KARE 11 described the officers as answering an emergency call on the city’s south side. The nature of that emergency has not been established. Nor has the available reporting verified whether either squad had emergency lights or sirens activated, or what the traffic signals showed when the vehicles came together. ²

Those missing details matter more to responsibility than the fact that both officers were answering a call. Emergency response describes the purpose of their travel; by itself, it does not establish which driver had priority, whether a rule was violated or who caused the crash. No verified fault finding or citation was available in the reporting by early Wednesday. ^{1 2 3}

The reported timing is consistent across the local accounts. KNSI gives 5:44 p.m., KSTP places the crash at around that time, and KARE 11 says approximately 5:45 p.m. The rounded account does not establish a materially different chronology. ^{1 2 3}

The account rests on local reporting of statements from St. Cloud police and the Minnesota State Patrol, rather than a separately obtained incident report. Although the State Patrol described the collision mechanics, the available reporting did not explicitly establish which agency was formally leading the investigation. It also did not establish whether any additional people or vehicles were involved. ^{1 3}

For drivers, the immediate disruption had ended: KNSI reported that the intersection reopened after investigation and cleanup. No exact reopening time or closure duration was supplied. For the officers, and for an explanation of the crash, the picture was less complete. No date had been announced for a further medical update or investigative finding. ¹