2 women dead in Benton County UTV, pickup truck crash
Police lights.
BENTON COUNTY, Minn. (FOX 9) - Two women are dead after a Saturday afternoon crash that involved a pickup truck and a UTV, according to the Benton County Sheriff's Office.
Authorities say it happened in the 9600 block of Ronneby Road Northeast in Maywood Township at about 2:20 p.m.
Deputies who arrived at the scene reported that the UTV was engulfed in flames while a gray 2011 Chevy Silverado was in the east ditch of Ronnerby Road Northeast adjacent to the UTV.
The sheriff's office reports that witnesses had pulled the two women, who were in the UTV, out of the burning wreckage, but they were declared dead at the scene.
The driver of the pickup truck, a 57-year-old man from Foley, reportedly suffered minor injuries from the crash and while trying to help the women in the UTV. Authorities added they did not see any signs that the man was impaired.
Investigators report finding that the UTV was southbound on Ronneby Road Northeast while the pickup was northbound on the same road. Witnesses told deputies that the UTV was driving in the middle of the road at "highway speeds", according to the sheriff's office.
Authorities say they also found evidence that showed the two vehicles crashed near the centerline of the roadway.
The names of the two women and their official cause of death are expected to be released by the medical examiner's office at a later date.
The sheriff's office said it is still investigating the circumstances that led to the crash.