2 fatal crashes reported in central Minnesota on Christmas Eve
MINNEAPOLIS — The Minnesota State Patrol says two women are dead following two separate crash incidents on wet roads Sunday.
According to the patrol, the first crash occurred shortly before 3 p.m. on Highway 71 at 870th Avenue in Winfield Township, which is in Renville County.
A driver in a Honda CR-V was traveling north on the highway when the vehicle left the roadway and stopped in the ditch. The driver and sole occupant, a 58-year-old Pequot Lakes woman, died in the crash. She was not wearing a seatbelt, the patrol said.
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The second crash occurred on Highway 71 in Chippewa Falls Township, located in Pope County. There, two motorists crashed head-on. An 18-year-old Willmar woman driving one of the vehicles suffered non-life-threatening injuries, while a 57-year-old Glenwood woman driving the other vehicle died from her injuries. There were no others involved.
In an update, the state patrol says alcohol was "involved" with the deceased person in the second crash. The patrol did not say if it was a factor in the crash.
The roads were reported to be wet in both crashes.