Malmo Man, Hero

A rural Malmo man is a hero after saving the life of a 21-year-old Verndale woman Monday night.

Roy Berg was tending to his dog when he saw an auto accident on Highway 18 near his Aitkin County home. Kelly Stave swerved to avoid a deer and struck a tree.

Berg saw flames popping from the vehicle and heard the woman calling for help.

Unable to open the driver's door, Berg helped the woman out of the passenger side and across the road. Within a short period of time, the vehicle became fully engulfed in flames. Trooper Kevin Skalsky said it would have been fatal accident had it not been for the heroics of Berg.

Stave was taken to Riverwood Medical Center in Aitkin for ankle injuries.

State Patrol Sergent Curt Mowers says motorists should never swerve left or into on-coming traffic to avoid animals or objects on the road, and to always buckle up.