Two Hurt in Head-On Crash Near Sauk Rapids

SAUK RAPIDS TOWNSHIP -- Two people are seriously hurt after a head-on crash in Sauk Rapids Township Wednesday.

The Benton County Sheriff's Office says a car and a pickup collided on 35th Street Northeast near Molitor's Quarry Grill and Bar and Fairview Gardens around 9:30 p.m.

Deputies responded to the scene where they found both vehicles with extensive front end damage. Fifty-seven-year-old Lonnie Noponen of Sartell was trapped inside his pickup and a 16-year-old girl from Rice was also trapped inside her car. Both had to be extricated from their vehicles by the Sauk Rapids Fire Department. They were taken to St. Cloud Hospital with serious injuries.

The sheriff's office says it appears Noponen was heading east when he crossed the center line and hit the teen's car.

Investigators took both drivers' cell phones to determine whether distracted driving was a factor in the crash. Sheriff's officials say several prescription medications were found in Noponen's pickup so a blood sample was taken to determine if impairment was a factor in the crash.