Two pedestrians are dead after separate weekend collisions with motor vehicles in north-central Minnesota.

In the first, a Park Rapids man died after being hit by a vehicle along Highway 34 about 5:45 p.m. Friday.

Willard Eugene Pietila, 68, was treated at the scene by first responders and was transported to the hospital in Park Rapids, where he was pronounced dead, the Minnesota State Patrol reported.

According to the State Patrol:

Lacy Loren Johansen, 37, of Park Rapids was driving a Jeep eastbound on Highway 34 near Lake Avenue, when she struck the man. Johansen told investigators that she believed she had hit an animal, but that her phone was dead and she was unable to stop immediately because of traffic. She said she returned to the scene, but continued on when she saw emergency vehicles, and called 911 later to follow up, the report said.

Johansen was not reported to be injured.

In the second fatality, a female pedestrian was struck and killed by a car Saturday on Highway 18 west of Garrison.

The State Patrol reported that the collision happened about 7:05 p.m. at the intersection of Highway 18 and Crow Wing County Highway 10 in Garrison Township.

According to the crash report, a Chevy Cobalt, driven by Roland Aasen, 49, Zimmerman, was westbound on Highway 18 near the southern junction of County Highway 10 when the vehicle struck a pedestrian.

The name of the pedestrian, a 30-year-old Princeton woman, was not immediately released.

Aasen was not injured, according to the State Patrol.

Both incidents remain under investigation.

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