One dead, several hurt in pileup on Lyndale Avenue in Minneapolis

A driver who was speeding and allegedly had been drinking crashed into several vehicles Wednesday night on Lyndale Avenue just outside of downtown Minneapolis, the State Patrol said.

One person died in the pileup and at least seven others with injuries were taken to hospitals, according to a State Patrol incident report. One of those hurt was a 2-year-old, the report said.

Events unfolded about 9:15 p.m. when a 32-year-old St. Paul man driving a Chevrolet Avalanche exited eastbound Interstate 94 onto Lyndale Avenue and struck several vehicles near Ontario Street. The street and ramp were closed for several hours but have since reopened.

The Avalanche driver, identified by the patrol as Jesse Steffon Drumgoole, was not seriously hurt, but a passenger in his vehicle suffered life-threatening injuries, said Lt. Michael Lee with the State Patrol.

The Avalanche struck six other vehicles. A 26-year-old passenger in a Jeep Cherokee driven by Molly Elizabeth Brenton of Virginia, Minn., died in the wreck. The victim’s name has not been released.

A 2-year-old riding in a GMC Yukon was among five people in that vehicle who were injured and taken to a hospital for treatment, including the driver Abass Boke, 38, of Anoka.

Drivers of other vehicles involved included Kyle Willems, 36, of Minneapolis; Luis Withrow, 22, of Minneapolis; Susan Clingman, 62, of Minneapolis, and Michael Henning, 62, of Burnsville.