2 injured, including 8-year-old Park Rapids boy, during two-vehicle crash on Highway 34 Saturday

Detroit Lakes, Minn. (KDLM) – Two people were injured, including an 8-year-old Park Rapids boy, during a two-vehicle crash on Highway 34 in Hubbard County on Saturday afternoon.

On Sept. 23 at 12:29 p.m., a 2022 Nissan Frontier, driven by 59-year-old William Ross Ruttger of Park Rapids, was eastbound on Highway 34, just east of the city of Park Rapids, when it collided with a southbound 2007 Chevy Suburban, driven by a 16-year-old female, as it attempted to cross the highway on County Road 4. The vehicles struck in a T-bone-style crash.

Airbags deployed in the Suburban.

An 8-year-old Park Rapids boy, who was riding in the Suburban, suffered non-life-threatening injuries during the crash and was transported to St. Joseph’s Health in Park Rapids for treatment.

59-year-old Candice Jean Ruttger of Park Rapids, a passenger in the Frontier, also suffered non-life-threatening injuries and was transported to St. Joseph’s Health.

All five vehicle occupants were wearing their seatbelts at the time of the collision and law enforcement believes alcohol did not factor into the incident.