Authorities on Friday released the identity of an SUV passenger killed when that vehicle crossed into oncoming traffic near Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport.

Killed in the four-vehicle wreck late Thursday morning on Highway 5 was Twamar T. Terry of Maplewood, according to the State Patrol. He was not wearing a seat belt, the patrol said. Friday would have been Terry's 31st birthday.

The Chevy Suburban he was in was southbound on Hwy. 5 when it crossed the median and collided head-on with a Lincoln Navigator, the patrol said. The Suburban then hit a minivan and car. In all, eight people suffered noncritical injuries.

The Suburban's driver, Michael J. Brown, 25, of Coon Rapids, was taken to Regions Hospital in St. Paul and later discharged.

Authorities had yet to determine Friday why Brown's vehicle crossed the median. The highway was dry, said Patrol Lt. Eric Roeske. Brown "hit his head pretty good" and told a state trooper that "he didn't remember events leading up to the crash," Roeske said.

Brown showed "no obvious signs" of being intoxicated but did submit to a blood-alcohol test, Roeske said. Those results won't be known for weeks, he said.

PAUL WALSH