PENNINGTON -- A Pennington man is dead after a two-vehicle head-on collision on Wednesday morning on Scenic Highway SE, northeast of Cass Lake.
According to a release from Beltrami County Chief Deputy Jarrett Walton, Neil Cutbank, 44, of Pennington, was driving a 2007 Chevrolet HHR when he collided with a 2018 Ford Escape driven by Jeffrey Imhoff, 59, of Bemidji, at 9:50 a.m. on Wednesday, March 9.
The Chevrolet HHR was traveling north and the Ford Escape was traveling south along Scenic Highway SE in Brook Lake Township in Pennington, around 20 miles east of Bemidji, when they collided in the southbound lane, the release said.
Cutbank was taken by ambulance to Cass Lake Indian Health Service’s Hospital, where he was later pronounced dead. Imhoof was transported to the Sanford Health emergency room in Bemidji with non-life-threatening injuries.
Airbags were deployed in both vehicles and Cutbank was not wearing a seat belt at the time of the crash, the release said.
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An investigation into the cause of the collision is ongoing. An autopsy by the Ramsey County Medical Examiner’s Office and accident reconstruction by the Minnesota State Patrol are pending.
The Beltrami County Sheriff’s Office was assisted by the Leech Lake Tribal Police Department, Leech Lake Ambulance Service, Cass Lake Fire Department and the Minnesota State Patrol.
