Two teens seriously injured in Hwy 11 accident near Birchdale

I first started at the Bemidji (Minn.) Pioneer as an intern in the summer of 1996. That would begin six years as a news reporter, sports reporter and copy editor for a small, six-day-per-week daily newspaper in northern Minnesota. I wrote a large range of stories from multiple beats, to features to sports, my favorite being the coverage of the Red Lake Reservation High School basketball team named the Warriors. Here is a collection of my stories from my time at the Pioneer.

June 30, 1999

By Devlyn Brooks

Two teenagers were seriously injured and three others received minor injuries in a one-car rollover about 12:05 a.m. Tuesday on state Highway 11 in Koochiching County, according to the Minnesota State Patrol in Virginia.

William Paul Dayer, 16, and Brandy Senkyr, 15, both of Baudette, were airlifted to Meritcare Hospital in Fargo, N.D.

Early Tuesday, Dayer was listed in stable condition and Senkyr in critical condition, but no further condition reports were available Tuesday night.

Sarah Marion Dayer, 15, Katie Lynn Scribner, 15, and Alisa Jennie Prikl, 15, all of Baudette, received minor injuries in the crash. They were treated and released from Lakewood Health Center in Baudette.

None of the teenagers were wearing seatbelts, and Scribner was ejected from the vehicle.

According to the State Patrol report, Dayer was driving a 1993 Geo Metro west of Birchdale, on Highway 11, when the car veered off the road and rolled over.