One killed in early morning crash near Minntac

Authorities responded to a fatal crash early on Thursday morning on Park Ridge Drive at the Minntac entrance in Mountain Iron, MN.

One person, identified as Kevin John Jurek, 44 years old, of Keewatin, was pronounced dead at the scene.

According to the St. Louis County Sheriff’s Office, the crash involved a commercial vehicle carrying hazardous materials traveling west and a Ford SUV traveling east. 

The driver of the commercial vehicle was taken by ambulance to the Virginia hospital with non-life threatening injuries. 

The Sheriff’s Office stated that excessive speed is believed to be a contributing factor to the seriousness of the crash. No hazardous materials leak resulted from the crash.

The investigation is ongoing at this time.