One Killed, Another Seriously Hurt in Central Minnesota Crash

Backus, Minnesota (KROC-AM News) - One person has died and three others were injured in a central Minnesota crash Wednesday morning.

Get our free mobile app

The Minnesota State Patrol reports that a Chevy Silverado was traveling north on Highway 371 just north of Backus around 7:30 a.m.

Google (click to enlarge)

The truck crossed into the southbound traffic lane and crashed with a Ford Escape, killing the passenger and seriously injuring the driver.

Minnesota State Patrol (click to enlarge)

The driver of the Ford was identified as 86-year-old Leo Elyea of Backus. He was transported to North Memorial Hospital with life-threatening injuries. The passenger was identified as 83-year-old Susan Bye-Elyea also of Backus. She was pronounced dead at the scene.

The driver of the truck, 46-year-old Stephen Ertl of St. Cloud, and the passenger, 26-year-old Ryan Skaja of Foley, were transported to St. Josephs Medical Center with non-life-threatening injuries.

The incident report indicates that the road was snow-covered and icy at the time of the wreck.

Rochester Jewelry Thieves Are Back

The 10 Smartest Counties in Minnesota

With data from Lumina Foundation, we have the most educated to least educated counties across Minnesota. The rankings are based on the percentage of the population that has an Associate's degree or higher.

Source: One Killed, Another Seriously Hurt in Central Minnesota Crash

Filed Under: Minnesota, Minnesota State Patrol