VIDEO: 1 Killed, 1 Injured in Crash with Light Rail Train in St. Paul
First responders at the scene of a collision between a passenger vehicle and a light-rail train in St. Paul on Sunday, July 4, 2021. PHOTO BY MN CRIME
One person died at the scene of a collision between a passenger vehicle and a light-rail train in St. Paul late Sunday afternoon. A male passenger in the vehicle was extricated and transported to the hospital with critical injuries, police said.
About 4 p.m. Sunday, July 4, fire crews, St. Paul officers and Metro Transit officers responded to the vehicle, pinned between the train car and a concrete divider near the intersection of Rice St. & University Ave. W.
A witness at the scene reported that the driver of the car was attempting to make a right turn on a red light when the vehicle pulled in front of the train and was hit.
Engine 8 was first to arrive and reported that the vehicle was stuck between the train and the concrete wall, according to initial dispatch audio. Firefighters reported two occupants of the car were trapped inside and requested additional fire resources to the scene.
Crews worked for nearly an hour to extricate the male passenger from the car.
Initial radio reports stated that another person in the vehicle was possibly fatally injured and a white sheet covered the vehicle after fire crews rescued the passenger. Around 6:30 p.m., crews requested the Ramsey County Medical Examiner to respond and police later confirmed that one person died at the scene of the crash.