A collision at a northwestern Minnesota intersection that killed a woman and her two small children came seconds after she didn't give the other driver the right of way, authorities said.

The crash Wednesday afternoon occurred at 120th Avenue NE. and 260th Street in Excel Township, roughly 10 miles north of Thief River Falls.

Cassandra Flatland, 28, of Viking, Minn., was driving south on 120th, "failed to yield at the intersection" and was struck on the passenger side by a pickup truck, said Marshall County Sheriff Jason Boman.

The impact sent both vehicles into the ditch, Boman said.

Flatland and her sons, 4-year-old Hudson and 1-year-old Cooper, were thrown from the vehicle.

The sheriff has declined to say whether the three were belted in, but the Grand Forks Herald reported that "deputies believe Flatland was wearing her seat belt and her two sons were in car seats."

The 16-year-old pickup driver was not hurt. His identity has yet to be released.