State Patrol: Unattended Flat Tire Caused Fatal Eden Prairie Car Fire
July 02, 2018 04:36 PM
An Eden Prairie woman died when the van she was driving caught fire in April. The cause was released on Monday, saying the fire most likely stemmed from an unattended flat tire.
According to the crash reconstruction report, Susan Jean Clark, 66, was at a local tire shop with a flat tire and left prior to the shop changing the tire on April 24. Because of the tire failure, the fuel filler was damaged, causing fuel to ignite.
It was determined that this was not a crash-related death, as the vehicle did not strike any other vehicles and had minor contact with a median barrier.
The report said troopers were called around 12:40 p.m. to Highway 5 on the report of a vehicle fire. Clark was located outside the vehicle.
Clark died from her injuries at Hennepin County Medical Center.
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Official Cause of Death Released for Woman Killed in Eden Prairie Van Fire
June 25, 2018
The video above originally aired in April
The Hennepin County Medical Examiner's Office has released the official cause of death for a 66-year-old woman who died when the van she was driving caught fire in Eden Prairie in April.
A release said Susan Jean Clark died from blunt force and thermal injuries in the incident, which took place on Highway 5.
The state patrol incident report said troopers were called to the scene on a report of a vehicle fire.
Clark was located outside the vehicle. Both she and the vehicle were on fire.
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Eden Prairie Grandmother Dies After Van Fire
April 26, 2018
A 66-year-old woman died Tuesday after the van she was driving caught fire in Eden Prairie, according to a Minnesota State Patrol incident report.
The report said troopers were called around 12:40 p.m. to Highway 5 on the report of a vehicle fire.
The incident report said the driver – identified as Susan Jean Clark of Eden Prairie – was located outside the vehicle. Both Clark and the vehicle were on fire.
"They found that the vehicle was on fire and the female had exited the vehicle and she was on fire as well," Lt. Tiffani Nielson of the Minnesota State Patrol said.
Clark died from her injuries at Hennepin County Medical Center.
Clark's son said she had seven grandchildren and was devoted to her family and pets.
He also said she had been out running errands Wednesday and getting a tire changed.
Eden Prairie Fire Chief George Esbensen said it's difficult to pinpoint where the fire started. But it doesn't seem to have originated in the driver's cab.
"We trace back the whole day for this person: where they were, what they were doing, who might have been behind the vehicle when trouble started," Esbensen said.
The investigation could take several weeks.
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Fatal car fire snarls traffic on Hwy 5, 212 in Eden Prairie
The fatal incident happened shortly before 1 p.m., when a car apparently being driven east on Highway 5 and merging onto Highway 212 started on fire, ran off the road and became completely engulfed.
Author: KARE 11 Staff
Published: 1:02 PM CDT April 25, 2018
Updated: 3:30 PM CDT April 25, 2018
EDEN PRAIRIE, Minn. - A raging car fire that resulted in one death triggered significant traffic backups on two busy west metro highways Wednesday afternoon.
It happened shortly before 1 p.m., when a car apparently being driven east on Highway 5 and merging on to Highway 212 started on fire, ran off the road and became completely engulfed. Unconfirmed reports say the vehicle was burning for more than a quarter mile before leaving the road.
First responders scrambled to the scene to extinguish the blaze and remove the driver from the wreckage. The State Patrol tweeted that the driver died from their injuries.
The emergency response completely shut down eastbound lanes of Highway 5 from Venture to Mitchell Road, and closed all but one lane of eastbound 212. MnDOT cameras reveal significant backups in the area.