Fatal Crash Takes The Life Of An Aitkin Man

An 83-year-old Aitkin man is dead after hitting a tree Saturday morning.

James Joseph Collins died in a crash shortly after 11:30 Saturday morning. The crash took place on Highway 47 in Spencer Township, Aitkin County.

According to the Minnesota State Patrol, Collins’s 2007 Ford Explorer left the road on the right side and struck a tree.

Collins was not wearing his seat belt at the time of the crash and was the only person in the vehicle.

Two other serious crashes were also reported over the weekend near Royalton and Long Prairie. The four victims involved sustained only non-life-threatening injuries.