When police arrive at the scene of an accident, one of the first priorities is to identify and account for everyone involved. When someone appears to be missing, finding the individual becomes a priority. In a recent car crash investigation, the missing driver could be a deceased person found along the stretch of road on which the accident occurred.
The original incident happened at approximately 10:35 p.m. on a Wednesday night. A Minnesota Department of Transportation camera captured the accident. In the video, viewers can clearly see a vehicle careening into the median on northbound Highway 169. It then came to rest in the left lane. Within minutes, a vehicle traveling in the left lane is seen crashing into the first vehicle and pushing it onto the northbound shoulder of the roadway.
When police arrived, the driver of the first vehicle could not be found. Police initially suspected the driver fled the scene and made inquiries at nearby businesses, but they could not locate the driver. Around 15 hours later, someone found a body in the median of the same stretch of roadway. Police are now attempting to determine if that is the body of the missing driver.
If that individual does turn out to be the missing driver, it will undoubtedly affect any potential personal injury or wrongful death claims filed in connection with the car crash. As would be the case in any such incident, identifying all of the parties involved is an integral part of the process. Once everyone is located and the details surrounding the accident are determined, the victims can then seek restitution in a Minnesota civil court. How this particular incident will be resolved may not be known from some time.