A head-on collision killed a 54-year-old man Wednesday morning on North Dakota Highway 19 just west of a bridge that crosses Devils Lake, the state patrol said in a news release.
The man killed was a passenger in a 2008 Chevrolet Suburban that was towing a 20-foot fishing boat. The patrol did not disclose his identity, pending notification of relatives.
The crash occurred at 6:50 a.m. a few hundred feet from Six Mile Bay Bridge. The patrol described the road and weather conditions as "good."
The Suburban was heading west, and the other vehicle, a 2005 GMC delivery truck, was going east.
After the collision, the delivery truck came to rest facing south in the westbound lane. The Suburban ended up in the south ditch facing southeast. Authorities found the vehicles upright, state patrol Sgt. Robert Kennedy said.
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The boat being towed by the Suburban came off its trailer and came to rest facing south in the westbound lane.
Caleb Day, 19, of Jamestown, N.D., was driving the delivery truck. Clinton Devier, 51, of Devils Lake, was behind the wheel of the Suburban.
Both men were injured in the crash and were taken by ambulance to Mercy Hospital in Devils Lake. Day was later airlifted to MeritCare Hospital in Fargo. Spokeswomen at both hospitals did not release reports on the conditions of Day or Devier.
Devier's passenger, who was from Devils Lake, died at the scene.
All three men were wearing seat belts, and airbags deployed in the Suburban. Both vehicles were totaled. The boat, with the exception of its motor, was totaled as well, Kennedy said.
No one has been cited in the collision. At this point in the investigation, Kennedy said, there's nothing to suggest either driver was intoxicated. He said the patrol continues to investigate the cause of the crash.
Kennedy said the collision shut down both lanes of traffic on the blacktop road for two hours. After that, one lane was closed until 1 p.m., he said.
Reach Ingersoll at (701) 780-1269; (800) 477-6572, ext. 269; or send e-mail to aingersoll@gfherald.com .
