1 of 3 western Minnesota brothers has died after their UTV collided with pickup truck

WILLMAR, Minn. — One of three young west-central Minnesota brothers has died after their utility terrain vehicle collided with a pickup truck Sunday. The other two boys were also injured and remain hospitalized in the Twin Cities.

The 15-year-old UTV driver, William John Dahl, died of his injuries, according to a Wednesday update from the Minnesota State Patrol. The other two boys have since been identified as well. Drew Wayne Dahl, 10, and Harrison Jeffrey Dahl, 11, were passengers in the Polaris Ranger driven by their older brother.

According to a CaringBridge page for the New London family, the younger boys remain hospitalized at Children’s Hospital in Minneapolis.

The boys’ mother, Lara Dahl, wrote Tuesday that “William went to be with Jesus at 5:26 this morning. He was surrounded by so much love. I truly believe he was treated at the gates of heaven with open arms. This kid, one we are so proud of. … He was the best son, best brother, best friend anyone could ever have.”

According to another post, the family decided to donate Will’s organs.

According to the CaringBridge journal, a CT scan showed Drew had suffered a bruise and two small lacerations to his liver. He had his first round of physical therapy and was sitting up and eating.

“He walked on his own to say his goodbyes to William and check on and hold Harry’s hand,” Lara Dahl wrote.

She also stated that Harrison is still being monitored by nurses and doctors, writing that he is a fighter. After a decrease in his sedation medicine led to some unwanted movement and increased swelling, he was put back under sedation and will have an MRI on Thursday morning.

Dahl and her husband, Mike, also asked for prayers for their fourth son, Gage, who “has lost a brother and his best friend, his hunting and fishing partner.”

She continued, “We live for those four boys. We have made it a point from day one that our family is always number one. We do everything together, and going forward this is going to be hard with our Will missing.”

An online fundraiser through GoFundMe has been started to help support the Dahl family and their medical expenses. So far, more than $125,000 has been raised for the family within two days.

“We are amazed at all the support we are getting from our family, our close friends who are family, our community that we live in, our community that we work in, and complete strangers,” Lara Dahl wrote on the CaringBridge page. “We can’t thank you enough for all the prayers, love and support people are showing our boys.”

She also thanked first responders who were dispatched to the crash Sunday and the doctors and nurses who have been caring for the boys since they arrived at Children’s Hospital in Minneapolis.

“The Children’s nurses and doctors are some of the best I have ever seen,” she wrote. “We have had the best care here, so compassionate, caring, and gentle to our babies. Answering all our questions, talking to us about each step and what we do next.”

Lara Dahl wrote in a Monday post that the entire family had gone out to pick up trail cameras and deer stands and walk some trails on Sunday. Once they were done, William, Harrison and Drew asked if they could drive the UTV back home, “something they had done dozens of times before,” Lara said. The three brothers got in the UTV while she, Mike and Gage traveled back home in their truck.

The crash was reported at 3:49 p.m. after the UTV collided with a pickup truck at the intersection of 95th Street Northwest and Minnesota 9, in Norway Lake Township.

The driver of the pickup truck, Matthew Leroy Anderson, 40, of Sunburg, was not injured in the crash. He was wearing a seat belt as were the two younger boys in the UTV.

Alcohol was not involved in the crash, according to the State Patrol. Road conditions were reported as snowy and icy at the time.

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