Coon Rapids police on Thursday continued to investigate a grisly and violent multivehicle crash on Hwy. 10 that left three people hurt and one vehicle torn in half.
Authorities said they have received tips that might help them figure out what happened at 3:43 p.m. Wednesday when four vehicles collided in the westbound lanes of Hwy. 10 near the Northdale Blvd. overpass.
"We asked for witnesses due to the fact that the people at the scene could not give a clear account of what occurred," said Capt. Jon Urquhart.
Police believe that a car driven by a 21-year-old woman was heading east on Hwy. 10 when something happened that caused her to cross through the median and into westbound traffic moving at highway speeds during rush hour. The woman's vehicle was split in two pieces when it was hit by two westbound vehicles. She was taken to Hennepin County Medical Center with serious injuries, Urquhart said.
The drivers of the two vehicles that hit the woman's car were treated at a hospital and released. The driver of a fourth car that was involved was not injured, Urquhart said.
Scanner traffic captured by the MN Police Clips website indicates that one woman was trapped inside the overturned sedan before rescuers arrived.
Authorities shut down the westbound lanes of Hwy. 10 at Hanson Blvd. for more than 4 hours as the Minnesota State Patrol did an accident reconstruction. Authorities from Coon Rapids Police, Anoka County Criminal Investigative Division and the Anoka County Crime Lab also were on the scene.
The closure tangled rush hour traffic that was directed off the highway until it reopened at 8:30 p.m. Eastbound traffic was reduced to one lane.
