1 dead, 2 injured in Stearns County crash

One person was killed and two others were injured in a Stearns County crash on Monday afternoon.

The Stearns County Emergency Communications Center received reports of a crash near County Road 9 and County Road 52/Two Rivers Road in Avon Township around 2:17 p.m. When deputies arrived, they found two vehicles with heavy damage in the ditch.

Officials say that a 62-year-old man had been driving his 2014 Chrysler Town and Country south on County Road 9 when a 2005 Pontiac Grand Prix entered the intersection in front of him. The man did not have time to brake and hit the Grand Prix on the driver’s side at an estimated speed of 55-60 mph.

The driver of the Grand Prix, 18-year-old Ellie Wittstruck, died at the scene as a result of her injuries. An 18-year-old passenger in the same car was airlifted to the St. Cloud Hospital with life-threatening injuries.

The man driving the Town and Country sustained minor injuries, according to authorities.