DPS: 8 people die in traffic-related incidents on Minnesota roads during Memorial Day weekend

The Minnesota Department of Public Safety said on Tuesday that eight people died in traffic-related incidents over the holiday weekend.

According to DPS, the eight fatalities included two people who died in alcohol-related crashes; four who died in speed-related crashes and two who died while not wearing a seatbelt. Officers also made 354 DWI arrests during Memorial Day weekend compared with 292 in 2020.

The following is a more detailed look at the eight killed this past weekend:

• A pedestrian was killed in Minneapolis after a hit-and-run driver was going well above the speed limit.
• A young female driver, who was reportedly traveling 60 miles per hour on a Minneapolis city street, entered the opposite lanes while passing, lost control of the vehicle and crashed, killing the passenger. Alcohol is suspected in that incident.
• A young male driver, reportedly going 70 miles per hour in a 55 miles per hour zone in Carver County, ran off the road and was killed when his car struck utility poles.
• A young male driver stopped his car on a Bloomington highway and got out of the vehicle. A vehicle swerved to avoid the car and struck the pedestrian, killing him.
• In Pine County, a male driver reportedly going 95 miles per hour in a 70 miles per hour zone drove onto the left shoulder of the interstate while passing vehicles. He lost control and rolled into a ditch. The driver wasn’t wearing a seatbelt, causing him to be ejected from the vehicle. Alcohol is also suspected in this incident.
• In Polk County, a male driver and passenger were riding an ATV along a township road when they steered into the ditch to avoid cattle. The ATV overturned, killing the driver and severely injuring the passenger.
• In Scott County, a male driver ran off the county road, hitting a cable barrier and going into a ditch. He was also not wearing a seatbelt and was declared dead at the scene.
• In Beltrami County, a male driver ran off the highway and rolled into the ditch where he died.

Preliminary numbers show 159 people have died on Minnesota roads so far this year, which is a 43% increase in comparison to this time last year, according to the DPS. Of those 159 deaths, 67 are speed-related, 42 involved drivers who were not wearing a seatbelt, 35 were alcohol-related and four were caused by distracting driving.

Last year was noted to be the deadliest summer in a decade regarding traffic-related deaths.

DPS: 2020 had most speed-related driving deaths in over decade