For the second straight morning, the State Patrol responded to a crash in which a pedestrian walking on a freeway was struck and killed in early morning darkness.

The latest happened around 1:15 a.m. Friday when Jeremy Daniel Larson, 31, lost control of his vehicle and veered into the right ditch on I-494 near Oakland Road in Minnetonka. His pickup truck rolled, but the Sartell man survived the crash. He died when he was struck by a Chevy Impala in the northbound lanes as he crossed the freeway toward the median, said Lt. Tiffani Nielson of the State Patrol.

It was not clear why he walked across the lanes, she said.

The driver of the Impala, Clarence William Wright, 51, of Maple Grove, was taken to North Memorial Medical Center with noncritical injuries, the patrol said.

The freeway was closed for about 3½ hours as authorities investigated. It reopened around 5 a.m.

On Thursday, Laura L. Lavine, 60, was run over by an SUV and killed when she walked onto Interstate 35W near Hwy. 13 in Burnsville around 2:45 a.m. The driver, Laura L. Koeppl of Burnsville, was not injured, the State Patrol said.

Lavine was wearing a hooded sweatshirt when she stepped into traffic. It was not clear if she saw the approaching traffic, Nielson said.

With the two deaths, the patrol reminded those on foot that it is unlawful to walk on or alongside freeways. Bicyclists also are prohibited on freeways, as signs posted at freeway entrances indicate.

"Freeways are dangerous places, especially at night," Nielson said. "People over drive their headlights and can't see a person until they are right on them. If you are in a crash or need to change a tire, stay in your car and call 911. We will send a trooper out."

Tim Harlow • 612-673-7768