A 77-year-old Woodbury woman died Saturday afternoon after driving the wrong way down Hwy. 52 in Hampton and colliding with another car near Hwy. 50, according to the State Patrol.

Fern Elaine Marty was driving north in the southbound lane about 12:30 p.m., the patrol said. A driver headed in the right direction, John Sparby, 45, of Apple Valley, tried to avoid her, but the their cars struck on the passenger sides.

He was taken to Regions Hospital with noncritical injuries. A 32-year-old woman who was a passenger in his vehicle was not harmed.

Hampton is southwest of Hastings, in Dakota County.

KAVITA KUMAR