St. Paul man in hospital after crash on I-35E in Mendota Heights

A St. Paul man suffered life-threatening injuries and is in the hospital following a crash Wednesday morning.

According to the Minnesota State Patrol, the crash happened at around 6:23 a.m. on southbound Interstate 35 East at Interstate 494 in Mendota Heights.

A crash report says the 32-year-old St. Paul man was driving a Honda Accord when his vehicle struck the median cable guard rail and came to rest in traffic.

The state patrol told 5 EYEWITNESS NEWS that the man exited his vehicle following the crash.

Then, the report says that at some point after the Honda crashed, the driver of a Ford F-150 stopped his vehicle in the left lane “ahead of” the Honda.

After that, the driver of a Buick Lucerne attempted to stop but was unsuccessful. The Buick struck both the 32-year-old man and the Ford, the state patrol says.

The report says the Ford’s driver, a 51-year-old man from Woodbury, and the Buick’s two occupants—a 28-year-old man and a 31-year-old man, both from Mora—are all OK.

The 32-year-old man is being treated for his injuries at Regions Hospital in St. Paul.

At this time, the state patrol has declined to provide additional details to 5 EYEWITNESS NEWS as the agency investigates the crash.

Details, such as the cause of the initial single-car crash, the actions taken by the 32-year-old man after exiting his vehicle, and the reason the Buick was unable to stop are still unknown.

The report described the road as snowy and icy at the time.

Mendota Heights officers assisted the state patrol.