St. Cloud Police Officer Critically Hurt in Apple Valley Crash

APPLE VALLEY (WJON News) -- An off-duty St. Cloud Police officer was critically hurt in a Monday night crash in the Twin Cities metro area.

The crash happened just before 10:00 p.m. on Highway 77 in Apple Valley.

The Minnesota State Patrol says 44-year-old Ryan Ebert of Big Lake was traveling north on Highway 77 when his pickup collided with a transit bus also heading north. Ebert's truck also struck the cable barrier during the crash.

Ebert was taken to the Hennepin County Medical Center with life-threatening injuries. St. Cloud Police Chief Jeff Oxton says his medical staff has determined that Ebert's injuries are not survivable.

According to the State Patrol, Ebert was not wearing a seatbelt at the time of the crash.

The driver of the bus, 65-year-old Phillip Wright of Apple Valley, suffered non-life-threatening injuries and was taken to a hospital in Burnsville for treatment.

Chief Oxton says some media outlets reported that alcohol was involved in the crash based on the State Patrol's preliminary report, but he says medical records released to the police by Ebert's family show only a very small or a trace amount of alcohol in his system. Oxton says it was significantly below what is considered impaired or under the influence.

Oxton says Ebert is an 18-year veteran of the St. Cloud Police Department and has served as a patrol officer and an investigator.