44-Year-Old Pennington Man Dies in Two-Vehicle Crash

A 44-year-old Pennington resident was pronounced dead yesterday after a head-on collision with another driver.

The Beltrami County Sheriff’s Office received a report of a of a two-vehicle head-on collision located on Scenic Highway SE (Highway 39) near Cass Bluff Loop Road SE in Brook Lake Township near Pennington, about 25 miles east of Bemidji or 10 miles northeast of Cass Lake, at around 9:50 AM on March 9th.

Chief Deputy Jarrett Walton reported that upon the arrival of first responders, they found a 2018 Ford Escape that was operated by 59-year-old Jeffrey L. Imhoof of Bemidji and a 2007 Chevrolet HHR that was operated by 44-year-old Neil C. Cutbank of Pennington. The report said Imhoof had been traveling south on Scenic Highway and Cutbank had been traveling north when the two collided in the southbound lane.

Cutbank was transferred by an ambulance to the Cass Lake IHS Hospital where he was pronounced dead. Imhoof was transported by an second ambulance to Sanford Bemidji Medical Center with non-life threatening injuries.

Walton stated that both airbags in both vehicles deployed, but that Cutbank was not wearing a seat belt. The autopsy for Cutbank is still pending, and the investigation for the cause of the crash is still ongoing.