An accident Saturday morning in southern Minnesota marked the first fatal traffic accident of the busy holiday weekend.
An 18-year-old was driving southbound on Hwy. 61 in Wabasha County around 10:20 a.m. when he rear-ended a tractor, killing its driver. The driver of the car, Oscar I. Southbloom of Harris, was hospitalized at St. Elizabeth's Medical Center with noncritical injuries.
The driver of the tractor was not immediately identified.
Labor Day weekend is often a deadly period for Minnesota drivers. According to the state Department of Public Safety, 17 people died in traffic accidents during the holiday weekend from 2010 to 2012.
So far this year, Minnesota traffic deaths are on the rise, up to 235 deaths compared to 218 deaths this time last year.
KELLY SMITH
