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1 killed, 1 arrested after head-on crash in Grand Rapids

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One of the occupants of the pickup truck was in custody in Itasca County Jail on Aug. 24, 2026, on suspicion of criminal vehicular operation.

GRAND RAPIDS — A Cohasset woman was killed and two others were seriously injured after a head-on crash between a pickup truck and a car Saturday, Aug. 22, in Grand Rapids.

The Minnesota State Patrol reported two vehicles were traveling in opposite directions on Highway 2 near 17th Avenue Northwest before the collision in the eastbound lane around 4:30 p.m.

Janelle M. Swenson, 42, of Cohasset, was eastbound in a 2009 Chevrolet Impala. She was pronounced dead at the scene.

A 2005 Chevrolet Colorado pickup truck was westbound. The two occupants — a 38-year-old Deer River woman and a 41-year-old Cohasset man — were transported to Essentia Health-St. Mary’s Medical Center in Duluth for treatment of life-threatening injuries.

According to the crash report, Swenson was wearing a seat belt. Neither occupant in the pickup truck was wearing one.

The Itasca County Jail lists one of the pickup truck's occupants as in custody on suspicion of criminal vehicular operation.

The state patrol confirmed the arrest is related to the crash, with more details expected in court documents. A statement of probable cause was not available as of Monday afternoon.

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