Passersby pull driver from fiery wreck in Shakopee that proved fatal

July 23, 2019 at 11:56AM

A driver ran into a pole and died in a fiery crash in Shakopee, authorities said.

The wreck occurred shortly after 2:30 p.m. Sunday on Hwy. 101 near Stagecoach Drive, according to police.

The vehicle struck a traffic signal pole, police said, and the impact left the car engulfed in flames and sent plumes of dark smoke skyward.

Police Chief Jeff Tate said the driver was a 45-year-old woman from Shakopee. Her identity has not been released.

Daniel Nunnally was heading to Valleyfair with his family when he saw the crash scene, pulled over and teamed up with another man to get the woman out of the car.

"I ran over there and saw a lady slumped over on the steering wheel," said Nunnally, 32, of St. Paul.

After trying to break a window with his fists, "I went to my car and got a lawn chair and broke out the window," he said.

The other man broke another window, and they pulled the woman out of the car as the flames engulfed the vehicle, Nunnally said.

Nunnally said he was "burned a little bit, but nothing too bad. There was no time to think. Once I saw her in the car, it was second nature to help."

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about the writer

Paul Walsh

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Paul Walsh is a general assignment reporter at the Minnesota Star Tribune. He wants your news tips, especially in and near Minnesota.

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