LYON COUNTY - Charred remnants of a semi cab smoldered hours after an early-morning crash Monday outside of Marshall that left a Kentucky man dead.
The crash occurred at 5:33 a.m. Monday, about 1 mile south of Marshall on U.S. Highway 59.
The Minnesota State Patrol said Mace Eden, 49, of Olive Hill, Ky., was killed when the 1994 Oldsmobile Cutlass he was driving toward Marshall drifted over the centerline and collided with the southbound 2007 Freightliner semi driven by Michael Sontag, 64, of Minneota.
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Sontag swerved but was unable to avoid the collision, State Patrol said. He drove into the ditch and ended up in a field.
The cab was engulfed in flames by time the Marshall Fire Department arrived on scene, Marshall Fire Chief Marc Klaith said, and the fire spread to the front end of the trailer. The contents of the trailer - Schwan frozen food products - were destroyed, Klaith said.
Sontag was treated at Avera Marshall Regional Medical Center for unspecified injuries and was released, State Patrol said.
According to State Patrol, Sontag was wearing a seatbelt, Eden was not and was partially ejected from his vehicle. Both vehicles were destroyed.
The Minnesota Department of Transportation and the Minnesota State Patrol closed both lanes of the highway for a short time while clean-up efforts at the scene continued.
The Lyon County Sheriff's Department assisted at the crash site.