Fatal Pickup Crash

A man died Friday evening after his pickup truck went off the road, crossed through a residential yard and plunged into the Mississippi River east of Bemidji. Authorities received a 911 call at 4:43 p.m. on Friday, March 20, reporting the truck had gone into the water on Sunnyside Road. The caller said the driver did not get out before the vehicle went under, according to the Beltrami County Sheriff’s Office. Bystanders tried to help when emergency crews arrived, but the truck sank quickly, the sheriff’s office said. Divers from the Lakes Area Dive Team pulled the man’s body from the vehicle around 6:30 p.m. He was pronounced dead at the scene. Authorities have not released the man’s name and are investigating what caused the truck to leave the road.