The one person killed in a fiery, pile up on Interstate 35E Tuesday was a 32-year-old woman from Hugo.

The Minnesota State Patrol identified the victim as Sara Kaufman. The Hennepin County Medical Center says Kaufman died from the injuries she sustained in the accident.

Kaufman's Volkswagen Cabriolet was rear-ended by a Honda Civic north of Centerville around 9:30 p.m.

The crash caused her car to hit a Ford Pickup truck that then hit a Chevrolet Cobalt.

"She meant everything to me. The moment I met her, I knew I loved her," said Kaufman's boyfriend Steve Gullickson.

He says she had a zest for life and a love for learning.

"Her education was her life. Being able to help anyone in any way was something she always strived to do," Gullickson said.

The state patrol said three other people involved in the chain-reaction crash suffered minor injuries.

Investigators know that there was heavy traffic because of construction on I-35E. They're trying to determine if that played some role.

According to officials, there's no indication alcohol was a factor.

The crash closed I-35E for three hours.

Kaufman's family has established a fund, with all donations going towards a scholarship in her name at Century College in Maplewood--where she had just graduated and was the president of the honor society. Donations can be made at any Wells Fargo Bank in care of Sara Kaufman.