An 85-year-old woman was killed yesterday afternoon in an accident on Benner Pike outside the Nittany Mall, where a car making a left turn collided with an oncoming van.

Odessa Derrick, of Clearfield, was pronounced dead at about 1 p.m. on the scene by Centre County Deputy Coroner Judy Pleskonko.

Derrick was the passenger in the car turning left, a 1994 Chrysler LeBaron driven by 72-year-old Catherine Graham, also of Clearfield. Graham was airlifted to Altoona Hospital.

The occupants of the oncoming 1992 Chevrolet Astro van, Karen Cantolina and her 12-year-old daughter Olivia, were unhurt.

Graham was listed in "fair" condition last night, an Altoona Hospital official said. Graham was in the Surgical Progressive Care Unit, a section of critical care that provides services for all surgical patients both pre- and post-operation.

All of those involved in the accident were wearing seatbelts, police said.

The cause of Derrick's death is pending an autopsy, Centre County Coroner Scott Sayers said.

Sayers said he expects preliminary autopsy results by this afternoon.

The section of Benner Pike where the wreck occurred was closed yesterday for about two and a half hours after the 12:20 p.m. accident.

Before yesterday, the two most recent fatal accidents in the State College area both occurred March 6.

Slippery road surfaces resulting from a winter storm caused one of the accidents on Royal Road just off University Drive. The wreck claimed the life of a Penn State employee's 7-year-old son.

A second accident that day killed a 48-year-old State College man after his vehicle left the roadway along Valley Vista Drive in Patton Township.

No witnesses to Benner Pike accident were available for comment yesterday afternoon.

Any witnesses who have not yet talked to police are asked to call the State College Police Department at 234-7150.