A Grand Rapids area man was seriously injured in a single-vehicle accident Thursday in Itasca County.
According to the Minnesota State Patrol Darren Hughes, (56) was injured when the southbound 2019 Ford F550 he was driving veered into the Highway 169 median and struck a bridge guardrail at milepost 307 in Grand Rapids. According to the State Patrol report the vehicle left the road “without braking or swerving.” Authorities say the vehicle came to rest upside down in the river.
Hughes was airlifted to Saint Lukes’s in Duluth and treated for injured troopers at the scene described as life-threatening.
Hughes was wearing a seatbelt at the time of the accident reported just after 12:30 pm.
Officials say alcohol was not a factor in the accident.