Separate crashes Monday killed a Minnesota man and a woman, each 71.

A 71-year-old man from Deerwood, Minn., died Monday afternoon when his sport-utility vehicle went off the road and crashed into trees in Crow Wing County.

The State Patrol said the man was driving north on Hwy. 6 when the accident happened at 4:08 p.m. The SUV went into the west ditch, hit a group of trees and came to a stop after hitting another large tree. More information, including the man's name, is expected to be released Tuesday.

A second crash in Pennington County at 8:09 p.m. Monday killed a 71-year-old woman from Gatzke, Minn., the patrol said.

Sandra I. Swanson was driving an SUV on Hwy. 1 near County Road 20, east of Thief River Falls, Minn., when a truck in the opposite lane hit a deer. The truck veered into Swanson's lane and hit her vehicle head-on. She died at the scene.

The driver of the truck, a 21-year-old man from Thief River Falls, had noncritical injuries, the patrol said.

PAT PHEIFER