MN State Patrol Says Alcohol Was Involved in Fatal Freeway Crash

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Arden Hills, MN (KROC-AM News) - The State Patrol is indicating alcohol was involved in a multi-vehicle crash on a Twin Cities freeway this morning that killed at least one person.

The crash was reported around 8:45 AM on westbound I-694 at the Snelling Avenue interchange in Arden Hills. The State Patrol says a car, minivan, and a semi-truck were involved.

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The preliminary investigation indicates the minivan was traveling west on I-694 when it swerved from the right lane over to the left shoulder and then spun out just as the car was entering the freeway from Snelling Avenue. The State Patrol says the minivan then went through the ditch and collided with the westbound car.

That collision sent the car sideways onto the left lane of I-694 and into the path of the semi-truck, which hit the driver's side of the smaller vehicle.

The occupants of the car were a 76-year-old man and a 74-year-old woman from New Brighton. The State Patrol has not released their names, which raises the possibility that both were fatally injured.

The driver of the minivan has been identified as 31-year-old Luis Tipantuna of Minneapolis. He was transported to Regions Hospital with non-life-threatening injuries. The State Patrol report on him lists alcohol involvement.

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The driver of the semi-truck was also transported to the hospital with non-life-threatening injuries. He was identified as 68-year-old Steve Silva of Washington state.

More Minnesota News:

See How Minnesota's License Plates Have Evolved Since 1909

Nothing beats a nostalgia trip. It's always fun to see how things looked the year you were born and how much they've changed throughout the years.

Minnesota's license plates have certainly gone through many evolutions. The first "license plate" was actually a rectangular black leather automobile license tag with a brass number '1' on the center front. It was issued by the State Boiler Inspector in the State of Minnesota in 1903.

The first Minnesota license plate as we know it was issued in 1909. Let's take a look at that license plate and then all the plates that followed, along with some interesting Wikipedia knowledge as we go.

We've certainly come a long way, but it's also interesting that the now popular blackout plates have been around before.

Gallery Credit: David Drew