Three dead in head-on collisions

Head on crashes kill three in Twin Cities area.

Star Tribune

Last update: May 10, 2008 - 6:41 PM

Three people died in two head-on crashes Friday and Saturday in the Twin Cities area, according to the Minnesota State Patrol.

In Inver Grove Heights, a car crossed the Hwy. 3 center line near 82nd Street and hit an oncoming SUV about 11 a.m. Saturday. The crash killed the car's 20-year-old passenger from Hershey, Neb. The driver of the car, Matthew R. Willis, 23, of Eagan, was in critical condition Saturday afternoon, the patrol said. The SUV driver, Lynn M. Johnson, 56, of Eagan, suffered minor injuries. The condition of an Eagan woman in Johnson's vehicle was unknown.

On Friday, a fiery collision on Hwy. 8 in Chisago City killed an 18-year-old from Shafer. The teenager drove his SUV across the center line and hit a car carrier truck, whose driver also died. The crash, at about 7:40 p.m., caused a series of explosions and set both vehicles afire.

The carrier truck driver was a 49-year-old man from Phoenix, Ariz.

The patrol provided no further details and will release names of dead victims after their families are notified.

JIM ADAMS