Sheriff: 1 Killed, 3 Hurt After Teen Crosses Center Line, Causes Head-On Crash

MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) -- Officials in Wisconsin say a teenager driving a truck crossed the center line of a highway and collided head-on with another truck, killing its passenger.

According to the Polk County Sheriff's Office, the crash was reported at 11:30 a.m. Sunday on State Highway 46 in Black Brook just south Amery.

When deputies arrived, they found two trucks, a Ford F-150 and a Ford Ranger, both with severe front-end damage. The Ford Ranger was in the ditch while the F-150 was stopped in the southbound lane facing north.

Officials say a witness at the scene said he was traveling in front of the Ford Ranger heading north when the F-150, which was headed southbound, crossed the center line. He said he had to swerve to avoid the Ford F-150 and saw the collision with the Ford Ranger behind him.

The passenger of the Ford Ranger -- identified as 57-year-old Brenda Soderberg – died at the scene from injuries suffered in the crash. The driver, 63-year-old Keith Soderberg, was flown to Regions Hospital in St. Paul with severe injuries. Both are from Hammond, Wisconsin, and officials say they both were wearing seat belts.

The driver of the F-150, identified as 17-year-old Kali Laqua of Amery, was flown to Regions with severe injuries. The passenger, a 17-year-old boy, was taken to a local hospital with injuries not believed to be serious. Officials believe Laqua was not wearing a seat belt and the passenger's seat belt use is unknown.

The Wisconsin State Patrol is reconstructing the crash, which remains under investigations.

Officials say it's the third crash fatality in Polk County in 2018.