Suspected DWI driver escapes SUV before Minnesota train crash

LAKE CRYSTAL, Minn. — A North Mankato man was taken into custody on suspicion of driving drunk early Sunday after he escaped his SUV before it was struck by a Union Pacific train.

The Blue Earth County Sheriff's Office says the collision happened just before 2:30 a.m. on County Road 114 in Lake Crystal, just southwest of Mankato.

Deputies found the 53-year-old driver nearby, who said his SUV "got hung up on the train tracks" when he was making a U-turn. No one else was in the vehicle and there were no reported injuries.

The sheriff's office says the man refused to take a DWI test and said the SUV didn't have an ignition interlock, which is a violation of his driver's license restrictions.

He is being held in Blue Earth County Jail where he awaits formal charges.

WCCO-TV does not typically identify individuals unless they are officially charged with crimes.