Two Deadly Crashes Involving Pedestrians this Weekend

UNDATED (WJON News) -- There were two separate crashes where a pedestrian was struck and killed in Minnesota this weekend.

The Minnesota State Patrol says the first incident happened on Friday evening at about 5:45 p.m. on Highway 34 in Park Rapids in Hubbard County.

Thirty-seven-year-old Lacy Johansen of Park Rapids says she was driving her Jeep eastbound on Highway 34 near Lake Avenue when she struck a pedestrian. She says she believed she had struck an animal but that her phone was dead and she was unable to stop immediately because of traffic. She returned to the scene but continued on when she saw emergency vehicles and then called 911 later to follow up.

Sixty-eight-year-old Willard Pietila of Park Rapids died.

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The Minnesota State Patrol says the second incident happened on Saturday night at about 7:00 p.m. on Highway 18 near Garrison in Crow Wing County.

Forty-night-year-old Roland Aasen of Zimmerman was heading westbound on Highway 18 near the Southern junction of County Road 10 when his vehicle came into contact with a pedestrian.

Thirty-year-old Pagie Dahler of Princeton died.

A third crash involving a pedestrian happened on Friday evening at about 5:30 p.m. in Wright County near Montrose.

Forty-one-year-old Greggory Leeman of Motley was taken to HCMC with life-threatening injuries.