Family Mourns Man Killed On I-94 In Brooklyn Park
MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) -- A 20-year-old Columbia Heights man is dead after being hit while standing in the middle of a freeway.
It happened around 12:30 a.m. Thursday morning on Interstate 94 at Zane Avenue in Brooklyn Park.
Trevon Tucker was standing in the eastbound lane of the highway when a car hit and killed him.
His mother, Ebony Walker, still struggles to believe that she will never see her son again.
"I just keep thinking he going to walk through that door," Walker said. "He's going to come home."
She says her son was on his way home to Columbia Heights with his girlfriend early Thursday morning when they got into an argument.
Tucker told his girlfriend to pull over on the highway. That's when he got out of the car.
"She just told him to get back in the car because she was concerned," Walker said.
Tucker didn't get back in the car. A 29-year-old driver from Florida, heading eastbound on 94, tried to stop -- but it was too late.
"All of a sudden this person was in the lane, he tried to swerve but just could not completely avoid striking him," said Lt. Eric Roeske of the Minnesota State Patrol.
Tucker was dressed in dark clothing and put his hands up in the air before he was hit. He died at the scene.
"It doesn't take a solid impact and at night, drivers' reactions [are] slowed because of reduced visibility," Roeske said. "And also on a highway or a freeway, you're not expecting to see anyone out there."
For Walker and her family, the loss is a reminder to appreciate your loved ones every day.
"Just tell your kids you love them and you will be there for them and support them with everything you have in your body," she said.
Police said Tucker died of blunt force head and neck injuries sustained by the collision.
The state patrol is still investigating the accident. Authorities say the driver that hit Tucker has been cooperative in the investigation.