One dead after part of MOA parking ramp collapses
A 52-year-old man was killed and two other people were injured Friday night when a support beam in a parking ramp fell on the rental truck they were driving at the Mall of America.
The truck was driving up the access ramp on the northwest corner of the mall's west parking lot, when it struck a concrete cross beam. The beam fell onto the cab of the truck and crushed the driver. Police said he died a short time later, although it took hours to extricate his remains from the wreckage.
He was not immediately identified.
Deputy Bloomington Police Chief Rick Hart said the incident was apparently accidental.
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"People that were in the van were attempting to go to the Mall of America, and misjudged the height of the van and the access allowed by the ramp," Hart said. "There are signs that are posted on the height, and they obviously did not know that the vehicle was that tall, and it hit the ramp."
Two other people in the truck were taken to the hospital, although authorities didn't disclose the extent of their injuries.
Police closed off access to the scene, but the mall remained open during the effort to extricate the victim from the truck.
Hart said Friday night that authorities were still trying to determine how badly the ramp was damaged.
"It's the west parking ramp, and there are some, obviously, concerns about structural damage at this point," he said. "There is a structural evaluation team right now that's on scene evaluating whether the ramp is safe."
Mall guests were allowed to drive out of the ramp to the south.
