5 killed in crashes on Minnesota roads on Monday
Multiple fatal crashes on Minnesota roads Monday resulted in at least five people being killed.
According to the State Patrol, a head-on crash in Morrison County around 7:15 a.m. resulted in two fatalities and others suffering life-threatening injuries. The crash report says a Mitsubishi Endeaver was westbound on Hwy. 10 when it crossed the center median south of 83rd St. in Bellevue Township and collided with four other vehicles.
There were two people in the Mitsubishi. One person, identified as Logan David Dewitz, 22, of Wanamingo, died in the crash. The other person, a 19-year-old Wanamingo man, suffered life-threatening injuries and was transported to St. Cloud Hospital. Neither man was wearing a seatbelt, the report says.
A Jeep Grand Cherokee involved in the crash was carrying two people. The passenger, Marie May Majaski, 61, of Little Falls, died. A 65-year-old Little Falls man who was driving was taken to St. Cloud Hospital with life-threatening injuries.
Drivers from two other vehicles suffered non-critical injuries and were taken to local hospitals.
The site of the crash was about five miles south of Little Falls.
Another crash south of the Twin Cities resulted in two motorists dying at the scene. The State Patrol reports that it happened around 7:30 a.m. on Highway 19 at Baldwin Avenue in Greenvale Township, which is located about two miles east of Interstate 35W and a few miles west of Northfield in Rice County.
The head-on crash involved a Kenworth semi tractor and a Hyundai Sonata, with both drivers suffering fatal injuries. The driver of the semi has been identified as Richard L. Banidt, 59, of Goodhue.
The victim driving the Hyundai is identified as 28-year-old Bobak Barjasteh, of Northfield. He was not wearing a seatbelt, according to the State Patrol.
Another vehicle – a Ford F-750 pickup – was hit by debris from the crash but neither the driver nor passenger was injured.
A third fatal crash happened at approximately 4:25 p.m. when a pickup and van collided while both drivers were going south on Hwy. 169 in Lake Prairie Township, Nicollet County.
The man driving the van, Randal J. Thom, 60, of Lakefiled, died at the scene. He was not wearing a seatbelt, the State Patrol said. A 67-year-old Le Sueur man driving the pickup involved in the crash was transported to a hospital in Mankato with non-critical injuries.
There was another crash that shut down westbound Interstate 94 at Highway 4 in Melrose (Stearns County) around 11:30 a.m. Monday.
The State Patrol temporarily diverted traffic off the interstate, but the extent of injuries from the crash has not been released as of this writing.