I-94 Billboard Offers $10,000 For Info On Truck Driver Involved In Teen Deaths — But Pickup Steering Recall May Be To Blame

A billboard reading “$10,000 Reward for Info Finding the Semi That Pushed Our Beloved Sons Off the Road 6/23/15 At 9:11 AM at Mile Marker 68 by Dalton, MN” has gone up on I-94 — even though the pickup that the teens were driving when they lost control has been recalled for a dangerous faulty steering issue.

Parents Offer Cash For Info On Truck Driver

The parents of the boys killed in the crash are offering their own money as a reward for information say they just want to know what happened.

18-year-old Zach Kvalvog and his 14-year-old brother Connor were killed on the way to a basketball tournament on June 23 when their pickup lost control and rolled. Two other teen passengers were injured and hospitalized during the crash.

Teen Claims Semi Came “Extremely Close”

One of the teens who survived told Minnesota State Police that a “semi” was “extremely close” to the truck when it lost control and rolled, leading to a fruitless search for a “white box type trailer with a green or red tractor.” Police say that crash reconstruction does seem to support the teen’s claim.

Faulty Steering May Be To Blame For Crash

One month after the crash, Fiat Chrysler announced that that the 2010 model Dodge Ram that the boys were driving had defective steering parts which could cause drivers to lose control. Mr. Kvalvog is certain that the pickup’s steering mechanism failed: “”My son’s coming up around that curve, and there’s a semi that’s encroaching on him, and he has to make a quick maneuver. Pretty hard to go around a curve if you lose your steering.”

Earlier this month it was discovered that one of the first responders stole money from the boys’ wallets to pay bills minutes after they died, adding to the Kvalvog parent’s grief.

The parents plan to put up another billboard on I-94 near Dalton soon.

The case is still under investigation by Minnesota State Police.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AgH3TqAAnBQ

Sources:
KFGO
WDAY 6
CBS Minnesota
KVRR
ABC 6
ABC 6
Inforum
Valley News Live