NINE DAYS: 10 TRAFFIC DEATHS, NINE NOT BUCKLED UP

ST. PAUL — Among the 10 traffic deaths on state roads since last Thursday, nine crash victims were not wearing seat belts — and six were ejected from the vehicle.

“These tragic cases demonstrate what has been said for so long — seat belts save lives,” says Department of Public Safety Commissioner Michael Campion. “These preventable deaths serve as a grim reminder of the need to buckle up, every ride.”

The following crashes involving unbelted motorists remain under investigation by the State Patrol:

On April 17 around midnight on I-94 in Minneapolis, a vehicle rolled over while exiting at Hiawatha Ave. Bee Yang, 22, of Minneapolis, and Phong Yang, 21, of St. Paul, were ejected and killed — they were not buckled up. The two vehicle occupants that were belted survived.

Around 5:45 p.m. on April 17, a vehicle crossed over the median on Hwy. 52 in Inver Grove Heights and struck another vehicle head-on. Killed was Brittany Carlson, 30, of Zumbrota, Minn., and an unrestrained 4-year-old child. Both were not wearing seat belts.

On April 19 around 4 a.m., Matthew Amundsen, 22, of St. Anthony drove off Hwy. 65 in Anoka County, rolled his vehicle and was ejected and killed. He was not wearing a seat belt.

On April 19 around 12:45 p.m. on Hwy. 7 in McCleod County, Bruce Bergquist, 50, of Plymouth, was killed when he crashed into another vehicle. Bergquist was not belted.

On April 19 around 9:45 on Hwy. 16 in Fillmore County, Joseph Laumb, 25 of Rushford, Minn. was ejected and killed after he went off the right shoulder of the road, came back across the road and slid sideways into a guardrail causing his vehicle to roll. He was not buckled up.

On April 25 around 2:30 a.m., a vehicle ran off Hwy. 115 in Morrison County and rolled. All three occupants — Jessica Foged, 25, of Little Falls, Minn.; Tracy Jirava, 25, of Detroit Lakes, Minn.; and Michael Matthews, 34, of Devils Lake, N.D., were ejected. No one was belted — Jirava and Foged were killed.

Each year in Minnesota around 200 unbelted motorists are killed.