A teenager driving in eastern North Dakota strayed into the wrong lane on a slippery highway, struck a nursing home van head-on and killed two women, authorities reported.
The collision occurred late Thursday morning on Hwy. 15 about 25 miles southwest of Grand Forks, the North Dakota Highway Patrol said.
The two passengers in the minivan who died were identified as Lynette Ysteboe, 59, and Alpha Flatten, 97, both of Hatton, N.D.
Both drivers were hospitalized in Grand Forks. They were identified by the patrol as van driver Scott Grund, 59, of Hatton, and Brenden Myron, 19, of Northwood, N.D.
The van was transporting residents of Hatton Prairie Village Nursing Home, according to the patrol.
Prairie Village administrator Cynthia Tredwell told the Grand Forks Herald that "we're just heartbroken, what a terrible tragedy. It's a very sad day for us, to lose our residents, especially in this way. It's such a shocking thing to have happen."
All three people in the van were wearing their seat belts, the patrol said. Myron's seat belt use was not noted on the crash report.
Paul Walsh
