CANNON FALLS  — A Minnesota State Patrol trooper who was responding to a traffic accident slammed into another car in eastern Minnesota, killing two people and seriously injuring the trooper.

The collision happened about 2:35 p.m. Friday in Cannon Falls, which is about 35 miles southeast of St. Paul.

The trooper was airlifted to a Rochester hospital, where he was being treated for injuries that were not considered life-threatening, the State Patrol said Friday evening.

State Patrol Lt. Eric Roeske identified the trooper Saturday as Scott Reps, 48.

Reps was responding to an accident in which a motorcyclist was injured after colliding with a deer. The squad car’s lights were flashing and sirens were activated, Roeske said.

The other vehicle pulled out of a parking lot, and the trooper’s squad slammed into the driver’s side, he said.

The collision killed two Cannon Falls residents: Norman Scott, the 78-year-old man driving the car, and Geneva Scott, his 79-year-old passenger. Both were wearing their seatbelts, as was Reps.

“It’s very devastating to us,” State Patrol Lt. Col. Matt Langer said. “Our thoughts are with the people involved in the crash.”

The area where the collision occurred isn’t generally known as a problem spot for accidents, Cannon Falls Police Chief Jeff McCormick said.

The speed limit is 45 mph. Langer said authorities haven’t determined how fast the patrol car was going.

“This is a complicated and difficult investigation,” Langer said.