WILLMAR - Two fatal crashes, one west of Eden Valley and one south of Winthrop, Monday morning are the latest deaths in which at least 19 people have died on the state’s highways.
The fatalities included three people, including a 5-year-old child, killed in a head-on crash on U.S. Highway 169 south of St. Peter on Sunday afternoon.
According to the State Patrol’s preliminary numbers, there have been 19 deaths on the state’s highways since March 1. That compares to nine deaths in 2013.
According to the Meeker County Sheriff’s Office, Harvey Chupp, 87, of Eden Valley was driving a 1997 Chevrolet pickup west on State Highway 55 when he lost control on the ice and rolled the pickup in the ditch.
Chupp was the only occupant of the vehicle and was pronounced dead at the scene. The crash was reported around 9:30 a.m. Monday and remains under investigation by the State Patrol.
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The crash south of Winthrop involved two vehicles that collided head-on along State Highway 15.
The names of those involved have not been released by the State Patrol.
The slippery conditions created by freezing rain Monday morning had state troopers responding to 110 crashes, including the two fatal crashes and 19 injury crashes, and 89 property damage crashes, along with 33 vehicles that were off the road, all by 11 a.m. Monday.
