An 18-year-old driver was killed and her teenage passenger injured Monday afternoon in a two-car collision in rural Stearns County, authorities said.
Just after 2:15 p.m., Stearns County received multiple 911 calls about a two-vehicle crash at the intersection of County Road 9 and Two Rivers Road, about 5 miles north of Avon, where deputies found two vehicles with heavy damage in the ditch.
According to Stearns County Sheriff’s Office, 62-year-old Douglas Blonigen of Avon was driving a 2014 Chrysler minivan south on County Road 9 when he saw a red car enter the intersection from the west, which is controlled by a stop sign. He told deputies he didn’t have time to stop and he struck the vehicle, a 2005 Pontiac Grand Prix, on its driver’s side.
Ellie Wittstruck, 18, of Sartell was driving the Pontiac with passenger Gracie Grams, 18, from St. Cloud.
Wittstruck died at the scene. Grams was airlifted to St. Cloud Hospital with life-threatening injuries. Blonigen suffered minor injuries.
