Head-on crash with semi kills member of B-B-E's Class of 2011
Shawna Jacobson's senior yearbook photo at B-B-E high school (2011).
From November of 2007 at the Belgrade Catholic parish center: B-B-E volleyball coaches awarded members of the Jaguars C-squad team medals in recognition of their superb season, during which they went 20-0 overall and earned the B-B-E tournament championship, as well as the Central Minnesota Conference title (7-0 record). From left: Mickayla Stegeman, Jessica Beckman, Maggie Gruber, Shawna Jacobson, Ashley Kirckof, Whitney White, Tiana Solbreken, Coach Holli Thompson (now Breitbach). Not pictured: Melanie Schmitz, Carrie Felling.
A head-on car-semi collision late Friday morning, January 19, claimed the life of Shawna Jacobson, age 30, of Brooten, and Darren Tombers, age 40, of Watertown, MN The accident took place on Highway 7 on the western edge of St. Bonifacious in Hennepin County. It was reported at 12:01 p.m. to the Minnesota State Patrol.
Shawna Jacobson was the daughter of Mike Jacobson of Brooten and Kathy Jacobson of Red Wing; both were Brooten high school graduates. She was the youngest of their four children; her siblings are Tony, Jamie and Amanda.
Jacobson leaves behind her 8-year old son, Jett, who was not in the Subaru at the time of the accident.
Her family provided this statement, "Jett was her whole world, and she loved him with every fiber of her being. In addition, she was expecting her second child, and therefore our family is mourning the loss of two family members."
Accident closes Highway 7 for much of Friday afternoon
Jacobson was a passenger in a 2013 Subaru Outback driven by Tombers. The State Patrol report says that the Outback crossed the center median of Highway 7 just west of the intersection of that highway and Wildwood Avenue, which winds along the northwest edge of St. Bonifacious. Both Tombers and Jacobson were wearing their seat belts. The semi driver was not injured, according to the report; the 39-year old driver from Canada was driving a 2024 Mack Anthem. Both the semi tractor and trailer and the Subaru came to a rest in the ditch on the south side of Highway 7.
Jacobson was a member of the Belgrade-Brooten-Elrosa Class of 2011 who had just moved back to her hometown of Brooten last year. Her older sisters were also B-B-E graduates: Jamie in 2005 and Amanda in 2007.
At B-B-E high school, Shawna Jacobson was in choir and also participated in volleyball, dance, basketball and fastpitch. Always willing to try on a new challenge, anything she earned was done so through hard work and determination. When she was a 9th grader, her C-squad volleyball team finished 20-0 in the fall of 2007. They were coached by B-B-E Class of 2006 graduate Holli (Thompson) Breitbach. As a sophomore, she was a member of the JV volleyball team during the 2008 season when the Jaguars placed fourth at the state tournament; that JV team went 18-4 under Coach Jen (Gruber) Welle, B-B-E Class of 2001.
Jacobson played basketball through her sophomore season and was on the JV team in 2008-2009 under JV coach Katy Westrom. As a freshman, she was a member of the JV fastpitch softball team. In junior high, Jacobson also was a member of the Dazzlers danceline team in its inaugural competition season, 2006-2007.
As a child, Jacobson was fearless and took great joy in making new friends while caring for everyone she knew. She had a vibrant, outgoing personality and an unforgettable smile for all. Here mere presence could light up a room and lighten the mood of those around her.
This is a devastating loss for our community and B-B-E's Class of 2011. May God bless her memory. She will be greatly missed by anyone who knew her, especially her family. Please pray for her family and the Tombers family as they deal with this profound loss of life.
Note: a photo of the 2007 C-squad volleyball team has been attached to this web article. Additional coverage will be published in the January 25 issue of the Bonanza Valley Voice newspaper, including a tribute to the neighborhood in which she grew up in within the western part of Brooten. This is the same neighborhood where the publisher's family lives.
Additional information from the publisher: in a conversation with an over-the-road trucker on Saturday evening, the trucker spoke about the stretch of Highway 7 near St. Bonifacious where this accident took place. The first words out of his mouth were, "Oh, yeah, that is no surprise. Accidents happen there all the time." In his words, it is a dangerous stretch of the highway that semi drivers are aware of. This bears no value on what took place in this accident, but it illustrates the dangers of our rural roadways.
The loss of the lives of these two young adults also shows that tomorrow is not promised to any of us, and we should make the most of each day we have before the Lord calls us home.
Here's a link to see footage of the crash site, courtesy of KARE 11 News: https://rb.gy/gfpm1h.
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