A 56-year-old man from Bovey, Minn., was killed late Thursday when he was ejected in a single-vehicle rollover crash in Itasca County, the State Patrol said.
One killed in rollover crash in Itasca County; pedestrian killed in Brooklyn Park ID'd
March 19, 2016 at 5:19AM
Mark A. Wirtjes, who was killed, was a passenger in the 2015 Ford LGT, which flipped over on the two-lane highway. He was not weareing a seat belt, according to the patrol, and roads were wet at the time.
Two others in the vehicle were injured in the crash, which happened at 11:37 p.m. on Hwy. 65 in unincorporated Goodland Township.
Driver Christopher G. Smith, 29, of Bemidji, Minn., and passenger Michael P. Vail, 32, of Cass Lake, were hurt, but the patrol didn't consider the injuries to be life-threatening.
Alcohol was detected in Smith and Vail, according to the patrol. Smith went to a Hibbing hospital, while Vail was at a Grand Rapids hospital.
Also Thursday, the pedestrian fatally run over this week while crossing a busy Brooklyn Park street before sunrise was identified as a woman who lived near the crash scene.
Louise I. Bakken, 55, was hit by a westbound car about 6:30 a.m. Wednesday while crossing 85th Avenue at Adair Avenue, about a quarter-mile from her home.
Police Lt. Eric Nelson said that the intersection has no stop signs, traffic lights or marked crosswalks.
Nelson said it's not clear yet whether Bakken was at the corner when she stepped into 85th from the north.
The driver "said he didn't see her, basically, until upon impact," Nelson said. "It's really just a tragic accident."
Bakken was employed by the Star Tribune. She began her career with the newspaper in 1979 and worked in various accounting roles.
She was promoted to payment application supervisor in 2005.
She is survived by a husband and three adult sons.
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