A man in a lane of traffic on a Brooklyn Park highway was struck overnight by an SUV and killed early Friday, authorities said.
The crash occurred about 2:30 a.m. on westbound Hwy. 610 near Zane Avenue, according to the State Patrol.
The SUV, driven by 39-year-old Nathaniel J. Preble, of Minneapolis, hit the man "in the center of the right lane," read a statement from the patrol.
Authorities have yet to release the dead man's identity other than to say he was 32 years old and from Burnsville.
The patrol initially described the man as being down in the lane of traffic but removed that characterization from its online listing of traffic incidents without explanation.
Patrol Lt. Gordon Shank told the Star Tribune later in an e-mail that "we need to conduct the investigation to determine the circumstances that led the person to be on the roadway. ... the earlier entry was premature."
Hwy. 610 was closed for several hours between Russell and Zane avenues as investigators worked the crash scene, according to the Minnesota Department of Transportation said. It has since reopened.
Paul Walsh • 612-673-4482
