Austin man injured in I-35 accident; Alcohol allegedly a factor

Published 8:37 am Monday, August 19, 2019

An Austin man was taken to the hospital with non-life threatening injuries after an early Saturday morning accident on Interstate 35.

According to the Minnesota State Patrol accident report, a 2016 Ram 1500 driven by Evan Ryan Horstmann, 20, of Austin was parked on the shoulder of the northbound lane of Interstate 35 with no lights on near milepost 27 in Summit Township, Steele County, at about 2:17 a.m. on Saturday. A 2011 Volvo Semi was heading northbound on Interstate 35 when the Ram pulled out in front of it, causing them to collide.

Ellendale Fire, the Steele County Sheriff’s Office, Mayo Clinic Ambulance and Mayo One responded to the scene.

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Horstmann was transported to Mayo Clinic Hospital, St. Marys Campus-Rochester with non-life threatening injuries. The driver of the Semi, Michael Joseph Smith, 62, of Des Moines, Iowa, was uninjured.

The report indicated Horstmann might have been under the influence of alcohol.