Plymouth driver fatally struck on Highway 169 after leaving crashed car

SCOTT COUNTY, Minn. (FOX 9) - A man involved in a single-vehicle crash was fatally struck by a passing driver on Highway 169 after walking onto the roadway early Tuesday morning. 

What we know

The incident happened just after midnight on Highway 169, about two miles past Highway 41, between Shakopee and Jordan. 

According to the initial report, a driver was traveling southbound on Highway 169 when his car entered the ditch and rolled. The 36-year-old survived the initial crash but was struck and killed by the driver of a passing SUV after he got out of his car and entered the roadway. 

The State Patrol says the second driver, a 44-year-old from Henderson, was not injured in the collision. 

All lanes of southbound Highway 169 were closed for nearly four hours as the State Patrol’s reconstruction team investigated. The highway reopened around 4 a.m. Tuesday. 

What we don’t know 

The State Patrol did not say what led to the initial crash or why the driver got out of his vehicle. 

However, the stretch of highway where the crash happened is under construction. Orange barrels reduce traffic to the left lane, and there is almost no useable shoulder. 

The name of the person killed has not been released, but officials say the victim lived in Plymouth.

There have been at least 303 people killed in traffic-related incidents so far in 2024, compared to 273 people at this time last year, according to the Minnesota Department of Safety.