MnDOT seeks help finding motorist who injured worker

The Minnesota Department of Transportation is seeking the public's help to find a driver who hit a construction worker on Interstate 694 late Wednesday.

Lewis Patch, 42, of Lakeview, Mich., suffered leg injuries when a black Honda sedan drove into a lighted work zone on eastbound I-694 near Long Lake Road, MnDOT spokesman Kent Barnard said.

Patch was using a saw to cut new concrete when the car struck him about 9:30 p.m. Wednesday. He was treated at Hennepin County Medical Center and released.

"The issue is that [the driver] drove approximately a half-mile at least down a closed work zone," Barnard said. "This worker was definitely well back from the live traffic."

After the crash, the person continued driving, dodging barricades and equipment, and crossing a median, Barnard said.

Traffic cameras that might have helped identify the driver were turned off or pointed in another direction.

No witnesses have come forward. Barnard said the Honda would have sustained extensive damage.

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