3 crashes: Pedestrian, teen, wrong-way driver dead

A pedestrian was killed this morning after being struck by a car on Interstate 35, the third deadly accident on Minnesota roads since Friday afternoon.

By ABBY SIMONS, Star Tribune

Last update: October 10, 2009 - 6:11 PM

A 45-year-old woman from Cedar, Minn., who had climbed out of a car involved in a minor accident on slippery pavement was killed Saturday after being struck by another car on Interstate 35 at the point where it divides at Forest Lake. The accident happened in the northbound lanes of 35W at the Forest Lake split.

According to the State Patrol, the woman, whose name has not been released, had spun off the road and was waiting with a second driver, William B. Franks, 58, of Chaska, who had done the same thing when a third vehicle, driven by Tirrell Corgard, 70, of Roseville, rolled over nearby. When the two went to see if Corgard was OK, a car driven by Maria Wilson, 34, of Pine City, struck the woman. The woman from Cedar died at the scene.

It was the third deadly accident on Minnesota roads since Friday afternoon.

At 11:24 p.m. Friday, a 32-year-old Minneapolis woman driving the wrong way on Hwy. 280 was killed in a head-on crash at Energy Park Drive in St. Paul. She was heading south in the northbound lanes when her car hit a car driven by Lloyd Dahline, 60, of South St. Paul. Dahline suffered a broken ankle. His passenger, James Wardlow, 60, of New Brighton, was not seriously hurt.

About 3:30 p.m. Friday, an 18-year-old woman from Bovey, Minn., was killed and two other people were critically injured in Coleraine, when a car pulled in front of a bus carrying the Ely High School football team to a homecoming game in Onamia.

Emerald Foss died after the car she was a passenger in pulled in front of the bus while crossing Hwy. 169 at its intersection with Curley Avenue. The driver of the car, Hailey Salo, 18, of Grand Rapids, and another passenger, Paige Anderson, 16, of Bovey, were in critical condition at St. Mary's Hospital in Duluth.

The bus driver, Jay Poshak, 28, of Ely, suffered minor injuries. The 23 football players and three coaches on the bus were not hurt. Officials canceled Friday's homecoming game at Onamia High School.

Abby Simons • 612-673-4921

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