A portion of Eastbound I-94 is back open after a serious crash involving seven vehicles late Wednesday night has left at least one person dead.

At the time of the closure, the Minnesota Department of Transportation said the crash happened at the Exit 231B ramp to Hennepin Avenue and Lyndale Avenue.

The Minnesota State Patrol says around 9:15 p.m. a Chevy Avalanche was traveling at a high rate of speed when it hit several vehicles.

The driver of that vehicle, 29-year-old Talon Covie-Cadrell Walker of St. Paul, is believed to have had alcohol in his system. His passenger, identified as a 20-year-old St. Paul woman, was taken to an area hospital with life-threatening injuries.

The driver of a Jeep Cherokee involved in the crash was killed. She was identified late Thursday morning as 26-year-old Natalie Gubbay, of Minneapolis. The passenger in the vehicle, a 28-year-old Virginia woman, has non-life-threatening injuries.

Authorities say four of the six people inside a GMC Yukon, the driver of a Ford Edge, the driver of a Toyota Rav 4 and the driver of a Nissan Versa all had non-life-threatening injuries.

The driver of a Audi Q5 and two of the six people in the GMC Yukon weren’t injured.

“The airbag was deployed and the first thing that came to mind was my family, how they’re doing,” said Abass Boke, who was driving the Yukon.

Boke was involved in the crash and he had several of his family members in the car with him, including his 2-year-old niece.

“I asked everybody how they’re doing. Kids were crying and all of us were shocked,” Boke said. “Everybody is in one piece, and I’m thankful for that.”

Boke says he doesn’t remember a whole lot after the initial impact, but had this to say about anyone who thinks it’s OK to drive while impaired: “Very disappointing, honestly. They shouldn’t drive, period. No one is supposed to drive under the influence of any kind of stuff.”

The roadway was closed for hours and reopened around 1:55 a.m. Thursday.