Two traffic crashes claimed three lives in the past two days.

A Mankato man was killed when he lost control of his pickup on a Blue Earth County road Saturday afternoon, and the vehicle rolled. His passenger suffered injuries that were not life-threatening. Neither was wearing a seat belt, the State Patrol said.

Dead is 55-year-old Leo J. Black, the driver of the Dodge pickup. His passenger was identified as 48-year-old Melody Wood of St. Peter. The patrol said they were southbound on County Road 33 at the junction of County Road 34 when he lost control and overcorrected, causing the pickup to roll.

On Friday, a Butterfield, Minn., couple were killed in a one-vehicle accident in Yellow Medicine County in western Minnesota. They were identified as 73-year-old Lowell H. Asplund and 74-year-old Sharon R. Asplund. They were wearing seat belts.

The patrol said the Dodge Durango was northbound on Hwy. 67 when it left the roadway, went through a fence and ran into a tree.

Pamela Huey