Man dies in crash at St. Paul intersection where traffic lights were not working

The crash happened Wednesday in the early morning darkness at Como Avenue and Lexington Parkway, the power still out from recent storms.

The Minnesota Star Tribune
August 29, 2024 at 11:21PM

An elderly man riding in a transit van was killed Wednesday in a crash with a second vehicle at an intersection in St. Paul where traffic lights were not working due to a power failure.

Officers arrived at Lexington Parkway and Como Avenue about 5:15 a.m. to find the van had rolled on its side. A man in his 90s was still inside. Members of the St. Paul Fire Department took the man to Regions Hospital where he later died of his injuries, said Sgt. Mike Ernster with the St. Paul Police Department.

The man’s name has not been released. The van driver suffered minor injuries, Ernster said.

The van was heading east on Como Avenue when it was struck by a Dodge Journey heading north on Lexington, Ernster said.

Power in the Como Park neighborhood was still out after Monday and Tuesday’s storms, and traffic lights and street lights were not operating at the time of the crash, police said.

An investigation into the crash continues, but impairment is not believed to be a factor, Ernster said.

about the writer

about the writer

Tim Harlow

Reporter

Tim Harlow covers traffic and transportation issues in the Minneapolis-St. Paul area, and likes to get out of the office, even during rush hour. He also covers the suburbs in northern Hennepin and all of Anoka counties, plus breaking news and weather. 

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