State Trooper Credits Seat Belt For Saving His Life In Head-On Crash

MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) -- One year after a deadly crash, a Minnesota State trooper says he's proof that seat belts save lives.

Last spring, a car suddenly veered off Interstate 35 in Lakeville, crashed through a frontage road fence, and hit Sgt. Mike Krukowski's squad head-on.

The 29-year-old driver of the other car died.

"Everything changed in a blink of an eye," Krukowski said. "It was an unpredictable crash that occurred, something I didn't expect. And the road to recovery began that day."

Krukowski said it's been a long recovery from his broken leg, arm and foot. But he believes his seat belt saved his life.

The State Patrol says nearly 90 unbelted drivers and passengers died on Minnesota roads last year.