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Elizabeth Baier
St. Paul, Minn.

Golden Valley man dies in Itasca County car crash

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A Golden Valley man died Monday afternoon in northern Minnesota after the driver of the car he was traveling in fell asleep at the wheel, authorities said.

Keith Heimer, 56, was a passenger in a 2004 Chevrolet Silverado traveling southbound on state highway 46, just a few miles north of Squaw Lake in Itasca County.

The accident happened shortly after 4 p.m. when the truck crossed over the northbound lanes, landed in a ditch and struck a tree, according to the Minnesota State Patrol.

Heimer was not wearing a seat belt and died at the scene, authorities said.

The Itasca County Sheriff's Office responded to the accident.

The driver, Mark Heimer, 48, of White Bear Lake, and passenger Rhett Witschen, 32, of Eagan, were both transported to Deer River Hospital in Deer River, where they were treated for cuts and bruises.