An SUV driver inexplicably stopped on an east metro interstate, was hit from behind by a larger vehicle and killed, officials said.
The crash occurred shortly before 6 a.m. Sunday on southbound Interstate 694 near 10th Street in Oakdale, the State Patrol said.
The patrol said a Nissan Cube stopped in the center lane of the interstate and was rear-ended by a Cadillac Escalade. The Nissan was pushed into a ditch to the right and hit a light pole. Officials have yet to say why the Nissan stopped on the interstate.
The Nissan’s driver, Cody G. Heidenreich, 22, of Maplewood, died at the scene, the patrol said. His passenger, Nachele Avis Stonecalf Kanuho, 22, of Cottage Grove, survived her injuries. Emergency responders took her to Regions Hospital.
The Cadillac’s driver, 52-year-old Jack P. Okumu, was not hurt, the patrol said.
