Pillager Man Dies In Head-On Crash

A Pillager man has died in a head-on crash eat of Pillager on Hwy 210, according to the Minnesota State Patrol. Randy Lee Karppinen, 58, was heading west in a Chevrolet Impala when he went to pass a Buick Park Avenue and struck an east bound Dodge Dakota pickup head-on.

Darion Preston Anderson, 18, of Crosslake was driving the Dodge Dakota and suffered non-life threatening injuries and was taken to Essentia Health-St. Joseph’s Medical Center in Brainerd by North Memorial Ambulance.

Christopher David Cherne, 17, of Pillager was driving the Buick Park Avenue with passengers 14-year-old Emily Clair Cherne, and 10-year-old Jordan Daniel Cherne. They all had no reported injuries.

The incident occurred Thursday at 3:05 p.m. near the Crow Wing/Cass County line. The state patrol reported all those involved were wearing seat belts and the roads were wet during the collision.