State Patrol reports 2 fatal crashes on Friday in Minnesota
Minnesota State Patrol reported two deadly crashes Friday in different parts of the state, though both of the victims were from Hackensack, a town of fewer than 300 people in Cass County.
The first incident happened around 12 p.m. in Austin Township on Interstate 90 near West Oak Avenue in Mower County. A minivan was traveling westbound when the the driver drove off the road and struck a tree.
The driver, an 87-year-old man identified as Lemoyne Leslie Kraushaar, of Hackensack, was killed in the crash. He was transported to Austin Mayo Hospital.
The second crash happened shortly before 6 p.m. in Birch Lake Township on Highway 371 near Woodland Dive, in Cass County. A pickup truck was traveling southbound when the motorist crossed over the centerline and collided with a northbound SUV.
The driver of the pickup truck, a 48-year-old man identified as Scott William Voudren, of Hackensack,, was killed in the crash.
The driver of the SUV, a 60-year-old woman from Solway, Minnesota, sustained non-life threatening injuries and was taken to Sanford Bemidji Medical Center.
Deaths on Minnesota roads are at their highest point for this time of year since 2008, according to the Department of Public Safety.