Sunday morning crash on I-694 leaves 1 dead, alcohol reportedly a factor

Authorities say a man is dead after his vehicle was rear-ended on I-694 in Washington County early Sunday.

According to the Minnesota State Patrol, a 22-year-old Maplewood man was driving a Nissan Cube on southbound I-694 just before 6 a.m. when the vehicle stopped in the center lane, just south of 10th Street in Oakdale.

That’s when a southbound Cadillac Escalade rear-ended the Cube, causing it to enter the right ditch before hitting a light pole and eventually stopping.

An incident report says the driver, identified early Monday morning as Cody Heidenrich, died, but a 22-year-old Cottage Grove woman who was a passenger in the Cube was taken to Regions Hospital for non-life-threatening injuries.

However, while the 52-year-old St. Paul man driving the Escalade wasn’t injured, the State Patrol says alcohol was a factor.

Road conditions were dry at the time, and authorities haven’t said why the Cube had stopped on the highway. The State Patrol said in its Monday update that it is unknown if alcohol was in Heidenreich’s system.