Mora man, New Brighton woman are latest Minnesota crash victims

A 22-year-old man from Mora was fatally injured late Friday in a two-vehicle crash in Kanabec County, the latest Minnesotan to die in crashes this week on state roads, the State Patrol reported.

John P. Armstrong, a passenger in a 2001 Hyundai Tiburon driven by a 17-year-old girl whose name has not been released, was gravely injured just after 9 p.m. when the northbound Hyundai tried to turn left off Hwy. 65 onto 278th Avenue in Peace Township and was struck by a southbound 1999 GMC Sierra.

Kaleb C. Swenson, 16, of Ogilvie, the driver of the Sierra, and his passenger, Genevieve M. Woods, 15, were not hurt. Both were wearing seat belts and neither had been drinking, the patrol said. Roads were wet at the time.

The Hyundai driver was taken to North Memorial Medical Center in Robbinsdale with unspecified injuries. Armstrong was taken to the Mora Hospital, where he died. The teenage driver was wearing a seat belt, but Armstrong was not, the patrol said.

Earlier Friday, a 79-year-old New Brighton woman was fatally injured in a two-vehicle crash in Arden Hills.

Betty Lou Lundeen was driving a 2004 Honda Accord south on Snelling Avenue just after 4 p.m. when she tried to turn left at Hamline Avenue and was struck by a northbound 2015 Honda Civic driven by Michael S. Ancheta, 35, of Brooklyn Park.

Lundeen was taken to Regions Hospital, where she died. Her passenger, Carl D. Lundeen, 81, was taken to Regions with noncritical injuries. Both were wearing seat belts and alcohol was not a factor, the patrol said.

On Friday morning, a 39-year-old man from Two Harbors died in a two-vehicle crash on an icy highway in Lake County.

Jason P. Wilkes was driving a 1993 Honda Accord north on Hwy. 61 north of Crow Creek, in Silver Creek Township, that collided head-on with a southbound 2018 GMC Sierra at 8:18 a.m., the patrol said. Wilkes died at the scene. The driver of the Sierra, Eric K. Moschet, 53, of Eden Prairie, was taken to Lakeview Memorial Hospital with minor injuries.

Moschet was wearing a seat belt, but Wilkes was not, the patrol said. Alcohol was not a factor.

On Thursday afternoon, a man from St. Peter was killed when his vehicle slid off an icy road in Le Sueur County.

Richard Okoneski, 60, was driving west on Hwy. 99 in wintry conditions when he lost control of his vehicle near County Road 91 in Kasota Township. The vehicle slid into the ditch and hit a tree about 2:20 p.m., the patrol said. Okoneski, who died at the scene, was wearing a seat belt.

On Wednesday morning, a 57-year-old woman from East Bethel was killed when the car she was driving cut across the path of a tow truck at a north metro intersection.

The wreck occurred about 6:10 a.m. Wednesday at Hwy. 65 and 187th Lane NE in East Bethel, the Anoka County Sheriff's Office said Thursday.