Man charged in Minneapolis crash involving train had BAC over twice the legal limit, charges say

A 33-year-old man is accused of having a blood alcohol level more than twice the legal limit hours after a crash involving a train in Minneapolis last October, according to a criminal complaint filed Wednesday.

Police say officers responded to the collision near Central Avenue Northeast and Columbia Parkway around 2:32 a.m. They saw a freight train traveling across the tracks, and two heavily damaged vehicles — a Cadillac Escalade and Toyota Rav4 — the court documents filed with Hennepin County said.

The Cadillac was stopped at the train crossing when the Toyota, later identified as being driven by the Columbia Heights, Minnesota, man, rear-ended it at high speed, according to the complaint. The impact resulted in both SUVs hitting the passing train. 

Court documents said the driver of the Cadillac was taken to the hospital with serious injuries. A passenger of the same vehicle reported having glass in her face and mouth.

Paramedics at the scene said the man, who sustained serious injuries, appeared intoxicated and an officer saw he had bloodshot eyes and "different sized pupils," according to the complaint.

The man was taken to the hospital where a blood draw, administered around four hours after the collision, showed he had a blood alcohol concentration of .223, court documents said.

The speedometer of the Toyota was "locked" at 68-69 mph after the crash, and the Cadillac driver estimated the man was driving between 85 and 90 mph before the incident, the complaint said. The posted speed limit at the scene is 30 mph.

According to court documents, the man was not in custody on Wednesday.