Victim's name released in fatal I-94 crash near Dickinson

STARK COUNTY, N.D. — A 50-year-old Dickinson woman was killed in a multi-vehicle crash early Monday morning, Jan. 16, on Interstate 94.

She was identified Tuesday as Tana Marie Johnson.

According to the North Dakota Highway Patrol, a semitruck was traveling westbound on I-94, 11 miles east of Dickinson, near Gladstone, in heavy fog with patches of ice on the road.

The driver, Demetrius Arnez Chambers, 36, of Milwaukee, jackknifed his rig, a 2020 Freightliner, into the median closest to mile marker 75. Johnson, who was westbound in a 2012 Buick Enclave, drove under and hit the trailer on its left rear side at approximately 1:25 a.m. Monday, the patrol said.

Johnson was pronounced dead at the scene. Chambers suffered no apparent injuries.

Both drivers were wearing their seat belts at the time of the accident, first responders said. Johnson’s body was transported to the state Medical Examiner’s Office for an autopsy.

The crash remains under investigation by the North Dakota Highway Patrol.

A GoFundMe page was created to help Johnson’s family with funeral expenses. It had already raised more than $15,000 by Tuesday afternoon. The post said she did not have life insurance, so any money left over after the funeral will be used to help her three children.

“Tana was one of a kind... To know her was to love her,” the post said. “Her quick wit, loving heart and endless giving was a treasure to her family, friends and our community.”