MOORHEAD (KFGO) – A 61-year-old Moorhead man has died following a single-vehicle crash Wednesday evening that investigators determined was caused by a medical emergency behind the wheel.
The Moorhead Police Department have identified the driver as Matthew Pitzel.
Emergency responders responded around 6:35 p.m. Wednesday to the 2200 block of 34th Street South after dispatchers received multiple reports of a vehicle leaving the road. Investigators said Pitzel experienced a medical emergency while driving, causing his vehicle to veer off the road, strike a fence and a tree, and burst into flames.
Callers reported that Pitzel was trapped inside the burning vehicle. Several bystanders stopped and attempted to help him before emergency personnel arrived.
Moorhead firefighters extricated Pitzel, who was the vehicle’s sole occupant. Sanford Ambulance transported him to a local hospital with life-threatening injuries, where he later died.
Investigators said there was no indication that speed or racing played a role in the incident.
Moorhead police and fire crews were assisted by Sanford Ambulance and the Minnesota State Patrol.
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