Two Killed in Head-On Crash on Highway 71 Near Park Rapids
Two Park Rapids residents were killed in a head-on crash on Highway 71 Sunday evening; a 5-year-old and a 13-year-old were hospitalized in Fargo.
Bradley James Hayes, 45, of Park Rapids, crossed the center line on Highway 71 near Albert Avenue South Sunday evening and struck a southbound vehicle head-on, killing himself and the other driver and sending two children to a Fargo hospital, the Minnesota State Patrol reported.
The crash happened around 8:15 p.m. near the Park Rapids airport in Hubbard County. Hayes was driving a 2004 Ford F-150 northbound when his truck hit a 2021 Kia Telluride head-on. He died at the scene. The Telluride's driver, Kimberly Soon Jin Rife, 39, also of Park Rapids, was transported to Sanford Health in Fargo, where she died.
Two children were among the injured. A 5-year-old boy, a passenger in Hayes's truck, suffered non-life-threatening injuries and was taken to Sanford Health in Fargo. A 13-year-old passenger in the Telluride suffered life-threatening injuries and was transported to the same hospital.
The State Patrol reported that alcohol is suspected on the part of Hayes; no alcohol use was suspected for Rife. Both drivers were wearing seat belts, and the road was dry at the time of the crash.
No formal charges had been announced as of Sunday evening. Toxicology results, which could confirm whether Hayes was legally impaired at the time of the collision, had not yet been released.
The Hubbard County Sheriff's Office, Park Rapids Police Department, Park Rapids Fire Department, and North Memorial responded to the scene. The State Patrol's investigation is ongoing.
Know something we missed? Have a correction or additional information?
Submit a Tip
