State patrol: 17-year-old driver identified in fatal Mendota Heights crash
[Pexels/MGN]
A teenager was killed in an early-morning crash Friday in Mendota Heights.
The Minnesota State Patrol reported the crash happened at about 4 a.m. along Interstate 494, west of Pilot Knob Road.
The state patrol reported a Dodge Journey traveling westbound left the road and entered the ditch on the right side of the road. The vehicle then crashed into a guardrail, rolled onto its side and then hit a pole.
A preliminary state patrol incident report indicates the 17-year-old driver was the vehicle’s sole occupant. The driver was later identified as Naejiana Derajai Smith, of Oakdale.
The Mendota Heights Police Department, M-Health Ambulance, and Eagan Fire Department assisted at the scene.