Driver Killed in Crash Near Esko on Icy I-35
A 43-year-old man from Esko died early Sunday after his vehicle crashed and overturned multiple times along Interstate 35 in Carlton County.
The Minnesota State Patrol reports that the incident occurred around 2:38 a.m. near the Jay Cooke Road exit in Thomson Township.
A 2006 Cadillac STS was heading south on I-35 when it lost control on the icy roadway, entered the right ditch, struck a guardrail, and overturned several times before colliding with a bridge pier.
The driver, identified as Nathan Ray Oleary of Esko, was pronounced dead at the scene. Authorities confirmed that he was wearing a seat belt at the time of the crash. It remains unclear whether alcohol was a factor in the incident.
The road conditions were reported as snowy and icy at the time of the crash. Emergency crews from Cloquet Fire, Cloquet Ambulance, Esko Fire, Cloquet Police and the Carlton County Sheriff's Office responded to the scene.
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