Driver Survives, Passenger Killed In Crash On Highway 62 At Dodd Road

MENDOTA HEIGHTS, MN — One person is dead and another is injured after a truck veered off of Highway 62 into a tree near Dodd Road Friday afternoon.

The lone passenger in the truck — identified as Margarita Cruz Garcia, 66, of Inver Grove Heights — died at the scene.

The driver, a 70-year-old man also from Inver Grove Heights, survived with non-life-threatening injuries, authorities said. He is being treated at Regions Hospital.

Just before 2:50 p.m., a 2023 Ford Ranger traveling eastbound on Highway 62 in the right lane drifted off to the right into the ditch, hit a tree, and rolled, according to the Minnesota State Patrol.

Road conditions were dry at the time of the crash, and alcohol was not a factor, authorities said.