Early Morning Collision, Overcrowded Car Crashes Into Semi Truck Leaving Three Dead Near Campus

Minneapolis, United States—A horrific pre-dawn collision involving an overcrowded passenger car and a semi-truck near the University of Minnesota campus left three people dead and four others severely injured early Tuesday morning. The incident occurred around 4:12 a.m. at the intersection of Southeast 4th Street and the exit ramp from southbound Interstate 35W.

First responders arriving at the scene found a compact sedan containing seven occupants wedged directly beneath the trailer of the heavy commercial truck. Paramedics confirmed three passengers died at the scene from fatal trauma, while firefighters used heavy extrication machinery to cut four surviving victims out of the crumpled frame.

The driver of the semi-truck was uninjured in the impact and remained on-site to assist investigating officers. Traffic homicide investigators blocked off several surrounding blocks to document brake marks, reconstruct impact angles, and assess pre-crash speed factors.

A spokesperson for the Minneapolis Police Department provided initial details as crash reconstruction teams worked behind emergency flares. "The semi was exiting the southbound interstate lane when the passenger vehicle struck the trailer structure," the spokesperson stated. "Four individuals were extracted and transported immediately to nearby trauma centers, where they remain in critical condition".

Authorities have not released the identities or ages of the victims, pending positive identification and formal family notifications. Investigators are working to determine why seven individuals were packed into the passenger vehicle and whether impairment or excessive speed played a role.

Commercial traffic was detoured around the Southeast 4th Street off-ramp for several hours as cleanup crews cleared fuel spills and removed the crushed wreckage. The semi-truck trailer sustained heavy side-frame damage during the broadside hit.

The intersection has long been a complex traffic node for drivers transitioning off I-35W into the dense residential corridors surrounding the university. Local residents have frequently voiced concerns about visibility and signal timing along the off-ramp corridor.

MPD traffic investigators are currently reviewing surveillance footage from nearby university buildings and highway DOT traffic cameras. The four hospitalized survivors remain under close medical evaluation while crash reconstruction experts finalize their initial findings.