Driver dies in I-35 crash; icy roads lead to other accidents

Published 12:00 am Monday, January 6, 2003

Juan Avalos, age 30, of Owatonna, died at the Albert Lea Medical Center of injuries received in an accident reported at 8:09 a.m. Sunday, according to the Rochester office of the Minnesota State Patrol.

The patrol’s report said the Ford pickup driven by Avalos was northbound near mile marker 15 on I-35 when it rolled over.

There were five passengers in the vehicle. Of this number, three were taken to the Albert Lea Medical Center for treatment of injuries. They were: Carrnia Cunita, age 20, of Owatonna; Oscar Garza, age 9, of Faribault; and Cassandra Avalos, age 8, of Owatonna.

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The Freeborn County Sheriff’s Department assisted the state patrol at the accident scene.

Elsewhere in the area over the weekend, 11 car accidents were reported to Albert Lea police on Saturday morning, with many more minor crashes not reported, said Assistant Police Chief Dwaine Winkels. Icy road conditions in the morning led to most of the accidents. None of those accidents resulted in major injuries, Winkels said.

Elsewhere in Minnesota, two women were killed and more than 100 accidents were reported Saturday morning in the Twin Cities and southern Minnesota.

Bealinda Haugen, 45, of Madison, died after her sport utility vehicle slid on icy roads and rolled over about two miles east of Dawson in western Minnesota, according to the State Patrol. The accident occurred around 5:40 a.m.

Another woman died in an accident around 6:45 a.m. on Highway 10 in Coon Rapids. Two other people received minor injuries in the accident.