1 Dead in Fiery Head-on Crash in Dakota County
Photo via MnDOT Traffic Camera
One person is dead after a head-on crash in a construction zone on Highway 52 near Vermillion late Saturday morning.
VIDEO: Aftermath of the head-on crash
The Minnesota State Patrol says a 2006 BMW sedan driven by 29-year-old Gabriel Christopher Lilja, of Saint Paul, was traveling north on Highway 52 near 190th Street in Vermillion Township around 11:45 a.m. when he crossed over into the southbound lanes and struck a dump truck head-on.
TWITTER: Our initial thread on the crash
A third vehicle was struck by debris from the crash. Lilja was pronounced dead at the scene. The driver of the dump truck suffered non-life-threatening injuries and was transported to Regions Hospital in Saint Paul.
MnDOT traffic cameras showed a dump truck in the right ditch and another vehicle on fire blocking both lanes of traffic. The highway was closed for multiple hours as crews investigated the crash and cleared the vehicles from the scene.
VIDEO: Aftermath of the head-on crash
Highway 52 is undergoing construction in the area and motorists travel opposite directions in a single lane on the same roadway with no barrier.
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Photo via MnDOT Traffic Camera