Minnesota highway collisions result in one fatality and one critical injury

Two separate vehicle collisions on Highway 61 in Minnesota have resulted in critical and fatal injuries.

In a Wednesday morning incident northwest of Wabasha, a car driven by 19-year-old Ellaina Renea Johnson collided with a pickup truck. Johnson sustained life-threatening injuries and was transported to St. Mary’s Hospital in Rochester. The driver of the pickup, 41-year-old Neil Patrick Rude, sustained non-life-threatening injuries. Authorities stated that both drivers were wearing seat belts and alcohol was not suspected to be a factor.

In a separate afternoon incident in Red Wing, a 71-year-old man was killed when his SUV crashed near the Minnesota Juvenile Correctional Facility. Preliminary reports indicate the driver attempted to turn onto northbound Highway 61, crossed the median, and crashed through a guardrail before rolling onto its side. The State Patrol noted that the road surface was wet at the time of the fatal crash.