Charles P. Maurer, 54, of Becker was killed Tuesday evening when his 2006 Dodge Caravan was t-boned by a Ford F-150 pickup truck at the intersection of Co. Rd. 11 and Hwy. 10.

 

Maurer and his 10 year old daughter, Casey, were airlifted to North Memorial Medical Center where he was pronounced dead at 9 p.m. Casey continues to be in critical condition and is fighting to recover.

 

Injured in the crash were 15-year-old Alenita Maurer who had injuries that were not estimated to be life threatening. Their 15-year-old friend Alora Nelson also sustained non-life threatening injuries in the crash. They were taken to St. Cloud Hospital by ambulance. Alenita was released Wednesday.

 

Maurer was  travelling north on Co. Rd. 11 on his way home when the pickup truck, believed to be driven by 18-year-old Deven Garlock of Little Falls, travelling east-bound, ran the red light at the intersection.

 

Garlock suffered a non-life threatening injury and was transported to St. Cloud Hospital. Carlee Bollig, 17, was  passenger in the pickup  was seriously injured. She was also transported to St. Cloud Hospital

 

Two other passengers in the pickup,  18-year-old George Saldana of Little Falls and 16-year-old Caysi Jaronske of Little Falls, suffered injuries that were not considered life threatening. They were transported to CentraCare health Monticello Hospital.

 

The State Patrol says Deven Garlock was the driver who ran the red light and broadsided Maurer but Garlock says he was just a passenger.

 

“I'm more or less just angry at the media right now for putting out there that I was driving, when I really wasn't driving the vehicle,” Garlock said.

 

The teens gave conflicting statements to officers after the incident. Garlock says they were driving to Jordan on Hwy. 10 to visit a relative and were traveling 60 to 65 miles per hour at the time of the crash. He doesn't believe anyone braked before the impact.

 

 

“I didn't see him, and next thing you know, we T-boned him,” Garlock said. “As soon as we hit him, I looked right where we hit him, and I figured it wasn't good.”

Maurer, known as Chuck to his family and friends, was a Big Lake High School graduate, an Army veteran and father of three. He recently quit his job at O’Reilly’s Auto Parts due to a heart condition.

 

He was feeling better than he had in months following heart-valve replacement surgery and being installed with a pacemaker, his family said. 

 

Maurer’s son, Patrick, heard from one of his sisters at the crash scene just moments after the collision.

 

“I got a phone call saying they had been in an accident,” he said. “It was pretty horrendous.”

 

“He tried to go to Becker library, but it was closed, so they went to Monticello library,” said Teodora Mauer, his wife of 16 years. “It happened on the way back.”

 

Funeral arrangements are being made with the burial planned at the State Veterans Cemetery in Little Falls.

 

All the occupants of both vehicles were wearing seat belts, the State Patrol reports. The accident is under investigation, however State Patrol Lt. Paul Van Voorhis says it could take 60-90 days  to determine if charges will be filed. Hwy. 10 was closed for four hours. Alcohol is not believed to be a factor in this incident.