The State Patrol has reopened a segment of Hwy. 97 in Forest Lake after finishing its investigation of a crash that left one person dead Friday morning.

The patrol had closed both directions of the highway between Harrow and Manning avenues for a couple hours after three cars collided at 5:48 a.m. at Iden Avenue. Air Care was dispatched to the scene and landed at nearby Century Junior High School.

According to the patrol, the driver of a BMW heading east on Hwy. 97 crossed the centerline and struck the side of a westbound Chevy Silverado. The BMW then collided head-on with a GMC Sierra that was also heading west.

The BMW driver, a 41-year-old man from Ramsey, was pronounced dead. The driver of the Silverado, listed as Andrew L. Peterson, 20, of Osceola, Wis., was not injured. The driver of the Sierra, Jesse Stuart, was taken to Regions Hospital in St. Paul. He was in good condition late Friday, a hospital spokeswoman said.

Tim Harlow