Pedestrian Fatally Struck by Jeep at Intersection in Small Minnesota Town
Park Rapids, MN (KROC-AM News)- A pedestrian lost his life after being struck by a vehicle at an intersection in a small northwestern Minnesota town.
The State Patrol responded to the fatal incident around 5:45 p.m. Friday. The vehicle involved in the fatal collision was not at the scene when first responders arrived.
The fatal incident happened at the intersection of Hwy. 34 and Lake Ave. in Park Rapids. The pedestrian, 68-year-old Willard Eugene Pietila of Park Rapids, was taken from the scene to a hospital where he was pronounced dead.
After the fatal collision a woman identified as 37-year-old Lacy Loren Johansen called 911 to report she was driving the vehicle that struck Pietila. She said she thought she had hit an animal but had a dead phone and was unable to immediately stop due to traffic, according to the report.
The Park Rapids woman, who was uninjured, returned to the scene and kept driving after spotting emergency vehicles before calling 911.
The report says its unknown if Johansen was under the influence of alcohol at the time of the deadly incident. The road was described as wet.
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Gallery Credit: Rob Carroll
