Deadly 7-Vehicle Crash Shuts Down I-35W in Mounds View

Apr 29

One driver died and several others were injured Tuesday morning in a seven-vehicle collision on Interstate 35W in Mounds View.

It happened around 10 a.m. in the southbound lanes of I-35W at County Road I in Ramsey County. According to investigators, a “merging conflict” led to a chain reaction that ultimately involved multiple passenger vehicles and semi-trucks.

Among the vehicles involved was a 2013 Chevrolet Impala driven by 67-year-old Kirby Kyle Schwarzkopf, of Brooklyn Park. He was pronounced dead at the scene, with authorities confirming he had been wearing a seat belt and that alcohol was not a factor.

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Another vehicle in the collision was a 1998 Mack semi-truck driven by 54-year-old Troy Michael Pugsley, of Hugo. He was taken to Hennepin County Medical Center with non-life-threatening injuries. Two other drivers, 28-year-old Adrian Arturo Arias Mejia and 37-year-old Muna Aman Abdusalam, were also transported to area hospitals with similar injuries. Arias Mejia’s passenger, 49-year-old Karen Monable Mejia Perez, was reportedly uninjured.

The other vehicles included a 2020 Toyota Sienna, a 2025 Peterbilt semi-truck, a 2024 Western Star semi-truck and a 2015 Dodge Journey. Drivers and passengers in those vehicles either sustained no injuries or were treated at the scene and didn’t require hospitalization.

The roadway was dry at the time of the crash, an incident report said, and none of the drivers were believed to be intoxicated. Mounds View Police, Mounds View Fire, Allina Ambulance and Ramsey County deputies assisted at the scene.

The State Patrol is continuing to investigate the circumstances that led to the initial merging conflict.

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