A 92-year-old pickup truck driver on the wrong side of the road died in a head-on crash in the northwest metro, authorities said Monday.

The collision occurred about 10:15 a.m. Sunday on Hwy. 10 at Main Street in Elk River, according to the State Patrol.

Raymond W. Christensen, of Elk River, was heading east on Hwy. 10 in a westbound lane when he hit an SUV coming the other way, the patrol said.

The SUV's driver, 32-year-old Marie R. Nikle, of nearby Big Lake, was taken to Mercy Hospital in Coon Rapids with serious injuries, said Sgt. Jesse Grabow.

Authorities have yet to disclose how Christensen ended up on the wrong side of the highway, which has multiple lanes in each direction.

Paul Walsh