18-year-old woman from Sartell dies in car accident

AVON TOWNSHIP — The Stearns County Sheriff’s Office responded to a crash Monday at approximately 2:15 p.m. at the intersection of County Road 9 and County Road 52 in Avon Township. The crash resulted in the death of 18-year-old Ellie Wittstruck of Sartell.

When officers arrived at the scene, they discovered two damaged vehicles. According to a press release, a 2014 Chrysler Town and Country minivan driven by Douglas Blonigen was allegedly struck by Wittstruck’s 2005 Pontiac Grand Prix.

Wittstruck died at the scene and her passenger, 18-year-old Gracie Grams of St. Cloud, was flown to St. Cloud Hospital via Life Link with life-threatening injuries, the press release said. Blonigen was not taken to the hospital but suffered minor injuries.

This article originally appeared in the St. Cloud Times: Young Sartell woman dies in car crash in Avon Township