At least five people were injured early Saturday morning after two cars that were racing ran off the road into an unoccupied house in Osage.
The accident, reported at 3:09 a.m. Saturday, also left renters without a home.
The vehicles involved were a 2004 Mitsubishi and a 2000 Mercury Sable.
The Mitsubishi was driven by a 21-year-old of Killeen, TX. The driver, whose name was not released pending notification of relatives, was treated and released at an unspecified hospital, according to the State Patrol.
Three passengers in the Mitsubishi were treated at St. Joseph's Area Health Services and released. They are: Anthony C. Bloom, 19, of Ponsford; Jennie F. White, 29, of Minneapolis; and David W. Eischens, 25, of Ponsford.
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The driver of the Sable was Derek W. Greenfeather, 24, of Ponsford. According to the State Patrol, Greenfeather left the scene of the accident.
A passenger in the Sable, Terrance L. Bloom, 32, of Ponsford, was treated and released.
Jeff Christlieb, owner of JC Construction, Osage, said Monday he and his family moved out of the home about a year and a half ago. The corner that was demolished had been a daughter's bedroom, he said.
Christlieb said he had just finished remodeling the three-bedroom, one-bath residence, at a cost of more than $30,000.
Renters were scheduled to move in Wednesday, Christlieb said Monday, adding they evidently had disconnected their telephone and he had been unable to reach them to let them know the house is "off the market."
Actually, Christlieb said, he was moving equipment to the scene Monday and plans to demolish the home.
Christlieb said he learned about the incident when someone called him at 3 a.m. to ask if the house was occupied or not. "I thought someone ran into the house, hit the side or something and I would fix it in the morning," Christlieb said.
So he was more than surprised when he saw the extent of the damage, but didn't let it interfere with his plans for the day - to fish in the Walt Winskowski Memorial Fishing Tournament.
