Alcohol a factor in fatal crash that closed Crosstown Hwy., patrol says
Authorities say that alcohol was a contributing factor in a fatal crash that left a portion of the Crosstown Hwy. 62 closed for much of the Monday morning rush hour.
The driver of a pickup truck towing a trailer left the eastbound lanes of Hwy. 62 near 34th Avenue about 3:25 a.m., entered a ditch and struck a concrete bridge pillar, the Minnesota State Patrol said.
The driver, identified as 34-year-old Brian W. Cravey of Wills Point, Texas, had been drinking, the patrol's report said. Cravey was taken to Hennepin County Medical Center in Minneapolis with life-threatening injuries.
A 21-year-old passenger from Como, Colo., identified by the patrol as Preston Haley, died in the wreck.
Both lanes of the busy highway near the Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport were closed for hours as troopers investigated the crash.
Complicating matters was a secondary crash at the site, in which a Minneapolis fire truck collided with a state trooper's squad car, said Assistant Fire Chief Melanie Rucker.
Rucker said the ladder truck was attempting to turn around when it hit the trooper's vehicle. She said no firefighters were hurt, and the truck was towed from the scene.
The trooper sustained minor injuries, said Lt. Gordon Shank with the State Patrol. Emergency lights were activated for both vehicles at the time of the crash, he said.
The mishap led to long traffic backups for much of the morning commute as motorists were diverted off Hwy. 62. Westbound lanes opened around 10 a.m. with eastbound lanes opening around noon.
