Driver of wrong-way vehicle killed in crash with semi on Highway 169

A Mankato man was pronounced dead at the scene of a crash in southern Minnesota on Friday night. 

The deadly two-vehicle collision happened around 8:30 p.m. on Hwy. 169 in Henderson Township, Sibley County. According to the Minnesota State Patrol, a semi was going north on Hwy. 169 when it collided with a 1991 Ford Explorer that was going the wrong way. 

The State Patrol says the driver of the Explorer, 65-year-old Howard P. Sweiger, of Mankato, entered the northbound lanes of Hwy. 169 from the exit ramp at County Road 8 and was going the wrong direction, leading to the deadly collision with the semi. 

Sweiger was pronounced dead at the scene. He was not wearing a seat belt, according to the crash report. 

The semi driver, a 40-year-old St. Louis Park man, was transported to Ridgeview Le Sueur Medical Center for treatment. 

Alcohol was not a factor in the crash.