Community continues search for lost German Shepherd following car accident on Gunflint Trail

One man is injured, and a German Shepherd is missing after a single-vehicle accident Friday afternoon on the Gunflint Trail.

On Friday, June 28, at approximately 2:32 p.m., emergency responders were paged to an overturned Silver Toyota Highlander on the Gunflint Trail near the intersection of Gunflint Trail and South Gunflint Lake Road.

Upon arriving on the scene, first responders found the vehicle overturned with deployed airbags. The vehicle contained one male occupant and one dog.

According to the Cook County Sheriff’s Office, the driver, identified as Alex Matusevicius, was alert and conscious following the accident. First responders then began extricating the driver from the vehicle. The Gunflint Trail Volunteer Fire Department utilized the Jaws of Life, a powerful hydraulic rescue tool, to cut the car frames and successfully and safely extricated Matusevicius from the vehicle at 3:03 p.m.

The Fire Department also winched the vehicle to the side of the Gunflint Trail to allow passage of vehicles.

While extricating, Matusevicius’s German Shepherd, Lessie, bolted from the vehicle.

Matusevicius was transported nine miles down the Gunflint Trail by the Gunflint Ambulance at approximately 3:14 p.m. to the Laurentian Divide parking lot. The Cook County Ambulance met the Gunflint Ambulance and transported Matusevicius to North Shore Health in Grand Marais.

According to the first responders, Matusevicius had possible broken legs, rib fractures, a head injury, and multiple lacerations. The driver was then transported to Essentia Health in Duluth.

According to the Cook County Sheriff’s Office, Matusevicius was traveling southbound on the Gunflint Trail when he lost control of the vehicle around a corner. The driver drove across the oncoming lane into the ditch on a straight stretch and attempted to reenter the roadway. The vehicle then flipped and overturned on the Gunflint Trail.

The Gunflint Fire Department, Gunflint Ambulance, Cook County Ambulance, the Cook County Sheriff’s Office, and Minnesota Conservation Officer Hudson Ledeen assisted with the call.

Following the accident, the Cook County Sheriff’s Office spoke with Matusevicius’s wife, Sharon. According to the report, “She stated Alex should not be driving and typically tries to keep the car keys away from him so he is unable to.”

Following the vehicle accident news, fellow Gunflint Trail residents, lodge owners, and community members banded together to begin search efforts for the missing German Shepherd, Lessie.

Shortly after, The Retrievers, an all-volunteer team specializing in connecting lost dogs with their owners, joined the team.

“She is very scared, and her owners are hospitalized,” The Retrievers said in a Facebook post. “If you see her, please be calm and gentle. Get low, toss out treats, and look to the side; let her come to you.”

To report a sighting of Lessie, contact The Retrievers at (218) 940-7615.

“Let’s get this girl safe so her family can heal,” The Retrievers said.

Kalli Hawkins July 2, 2024