CARPIO – A man died in a three-vehicle crash on U.S. Highway 52, 11 miles southeast of Carpio, early Sunday.

The North Dakota Highway Patrol said the man was driving a GMC Sierra pickup going south on the road and following a Ford Ranger pickup. The GMC’s driver started to pass the Ford and struck head on a northbound Volvo truck tractor pulling a van trailer.

The Ford was struck by debris from the other vehicles. The GMC came to rest in the southbound lane and started on fire, which was later extinguished by firefighters. The Volvo overturned onto the driver’s side and came to rest on the northbound lane sticking partially into the east ditch. The Ford ran off the road into the west ditch and came to rest on its wheels facing south.

The driver of the GMC had fatal injuries and was pronounced dead at the scene. The driver of the Volvo and a passenger, two men, received non-life threatening injuries and were taken to Trinity Hospital by ambulance. The driver of the Ford was not injured. The names of those involved in the crash were not released at this time. The crash occurred about 1 a.m.

According to the Highway Patrol, it is not known if the GMC driver was wearing a seat belt. The drivers of the Ford and Volvo and the passenger in the Volvo were wearing seat belts.

The Volvo was hauling bulk containers of a diesel-based substance which leaked onto the road and into the ditches.

The Highway Patrol said the spill required extensive clean up and Highway 52 was closed for a time on Sunday from Carpio to the Highway 2/Highway 52 split west of Minot until the clean up was completed.

Besides N.D. Highway Patrol, Ward County Sheriff’s Department, Burlington Police Department, Minot, Burlington and Carpio firefighters and Minot Community Ambulance responded to the crash.

The crash remains under investigation by the Highway Patrol.