2 dead in Otter Tail County crash; help sought in hit-run Wright County crash

2 killed in snow-related crash in west-central Minnesota; info sought in Wright County hit-run death.

Last update: October 31, 2009 - 6:09 PM

Two people from Doran, Minn., were killed Friday when their pickup truck spun out of control and struck another vehicle head-on on snow-covered roads in west-central Minnesota, according to the State Patrol.

The crash occurred early Friday afternoon near the Otter Tail County town of French, about 6 miles west of Fergus Falls.

Two people in the pickup, Larry Smith, 63, and his 89-year-old mother, Bernice Smith, were killed. Larry Smith's wife, Peggy Smith, 58, suffered minor injuries, as did Todd Orme, 19, of Cottage Grove, the driver of the other vehicle.

Meanwhile, the patrol has asked for the public's help in finding a minivan that ran over and killed a St. Cloud man who ran into traffic Thursday night on Interstate 94 in Wright County. The vehicle was described by witnesses as a silver 2001-2004 Dodge Caravan, possibly with front-end damage.

The patrol said Joseph Blitvich, 49, ran into traffic about 9:20 p.m. and hit the side of a semitrailer truck whose driver had swerved to avoid him. The van then ran over Blitvich and the driver kept going, the patrol reported.

In a news release, the patrol's Capt. Matt Langer said, "Given the circumstances of this crash, it's possible that the driver of the Dodge did not see a person or knew they hit a person."

Anyone with information can call the patrol's St. Cloud district office at 320-255-2916.

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