Two killed, two injured in Stearns County collision

Two people were killed and two others were hospitalized – one with critical injuries – after two vehicles collided on a highway in Stearns County Sunday morning.

The Minnesota State Patrol said the crash happened just after 7:30 a.m. on Highway 71 in Getty Township.

According to a preliminary crash report, a Ford F-150 was traveling southbound on the highway when it collided with a Ford Explorer, which had been traveling eastbound on County Road 28.

The driver of the Explorer, 20-year-old Nayeli Hernandez, of Sauk Centre, and one of two passengers in the Explorer, 30-year old Lener S. Carrasco, were killed in the collision.

The other passenger, a 23-year-old man, was taken to St. Cloud Hospital with life-threatening injuries.

The driver of the F-150, a 54-year-old Sauk Centre man, suffered non-life-threatening injuries.

Alcohol is not suspected in the crash and all four vehicle occupants were wearing seat belts, according to the crash report.

The crash remains under investigation.

Note: The details provided in this story are based on law enforcement’s latest version of events, and may be subject to change.