A vehicle traveling in the wrong lane caused a head-on collision on Monday that resulted in the deaths of two people in the vehicle that was struck by the wrong-way driver, who was hospitalized.

Police are guarding the wrong-way driver with the intention of transporting him to the county jail upon his release from the hospital according to KARE-11 television. The accident occurred in the St. Cloud area Monday night around 7:15 pm.

The report states 61-year-old Richard Tomlinson of Grantsburg, WI and 77-year-old Roger Nelson of Clearwater, MN were killed. They were in a 1970 El Camino. The driver of the offending vehicle is reportedly a 21-year-old from St. Cloud.

While there is no indication at this stage of alcohol, speed or distracted driving in this incident, now is a good time to remind everyone that the Minnesota Department of Public Safety is running an extra enforcement campaign to reduce speeding.

Law enforcement officers are reporting a variety of excuses that drivers are giving them for exceeding the speed limit through the department's Twitter account, @MnDPS-OTS. They report a 24-year-old male who was traveling 98 mph in a 60 zone as he was late for visiting a friend at the hospital. A 20-year-old female told police she speeding in order to get home and cook.

Officers cited a 16-year-old female driving 76 in a 45 mph zone. An hour later she was again stopped for speeding. A 48-year-old male told police he didn't have an excuse, just a lead foot for traveling 64 mph in a 35 zone.

You should wrap your car's key fob in foil, and here's why.

 

 

 

 

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