Alcohol Involved In Deadly Minnesota Crash

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Climax, MN (KROC AM News) - The Minnesota State Patrol has released information about a fatal traffic crash that claimed the life of a Bemidji woman.

The crash happened around 2:30 am Wednesday in northwest Minnesota near the town of Climax.

The State Patrol says 21-year-old Hazel Buckanaga was driving a small SUV on Highway 75 when the vehicle “exited the roadway and hit a culvert.” The State Patrol says Buckanaga was not wearing a seatbelt and died at the scene. A passenger in the vehicle - 21-year-old Aiyana White of Bemidji - was taken to the hospital with non-life-threatening injuries. The State Patrol report indicates both had been drinking.

 
There was another crash in northwest Minnesota that the driver somehow survived. The State Patrol says it happened around 11:00 pm Thursday near the town of Badger in Roseau County.

The State Patrol says 25-year-old Joshua Blazek of Badger was driving on a rural road when his car crossed into the other lane, went into a ditch and then “hit an embankment, causing it to become airborne and roll. It came to a rest on the passenger side of the vehicle, becoming partially submerged in water.”

Blazek was taken to the hospital to be treated for non-life-threatening injuries. The State Patrol report says he was not wearing a seatbelt and that alcohol was involved.