Failure to stay on the correct side of two-lane highways left two drivers dead in rural Minnesota, authorities said.
A pickup truck strayed over the centerline between Baudette and Warroad in far northern Minnesota around sunrise Sunday and hit an SUV coming the other way, according to the State Patrol.
The pickup's driver, Patrick L. Owens, 46, of Redby, Minn., was killed on Hwy. 11, the patrol said. The other motorist, Sherry K. Lein, 60, of Williams, Minn., survived her injuries. Owens did not have on a seat belt, and Lein did, the patrol added.
Roughly 210 miles to the south near Brainerd, a car heading south on Hwy. 371 crossed over the centerline Friday afternoon and ran into a semitrailer truck.
The patrol said the car's driver, Linda K. Marlot, 62, of Brainerd, died in the collision. The big rig's operator, Douglas W. Calkins, 59, of Deerwood, Minn., was not hurt. Both motorists were wearing their seat belts.
Paul Walsh • 612-673-4482
