More from MPR Herb Brooks killed in car crash (08/11/2003) Friends, family gather to mourn Brooks' death at wake (08/15/2003) Your Voice Join the conversation with other MPR listeners in the News Forum.

	E-mail this page			Print this page

Report: Herb Brooks fell asleep before fatal crash
September 16, 2003

St. Paul, Minn. — (AP) - The famed Olympic hockey coach, Herb Brooks, most probably fell asleep at the wheel before his minivan veered off the interstate last month, killing him, the State Patrol reported Tuesday.

The coach of the "Miracle on Ice" U.S. Olympic team that won a gold medal in 1980 was returning from a fund-raiser Aug. 11 in northeastern Minnesota when his Toyota minivan went off Interstate 35 outside the Twin Cities.

The State Patrol's report confirmed Brooks wasn't drinking, speeding, talking on his cell phone or having a health problem before the crash. Patrol officials said weather and road conditions were ruled out as contributing factors.

"Based on witness statements and examination of evidence, State Patrol investigators believe that Brooks most likely fell asleep at the wheel," according to a statement released Tuesday morning.

The coach's son, Dan Brooks, was given a preview by a State Patrol investigator. Dan Brooks told the Star Tribune of Minneapolis it was "pretty much what we thought the report would say." The report confirmed Brooks wasn't wearing a seat belt and nothing was mechanically wrong with his vehicle.

Brooks was best known as the passionate coach of Team USA's victory over the Soviet Union in 1980 at the Lake Placid Olympics.

Born in St. Paul, he played hockey at the University of Minnesota, where he later coached from 1972-79, winning three national titles.

After the Lake Placid Games, Brooks coached the New York Rangers (1981-85), where he reached the 100-victory mark faster than any other coach in franchise history. He coached the Minnesota North Stars (1987-88), the New Jersey Devils (1992-93) and the Pittsburgh Penguins (1999-00). He also led the French Olympic team at the 1998 Nagano Games.

He was inducted into the U.S. Hockey Hall of Fame in 1990.

On the day of the accident, Brooks attended a U.S. Hockey Hall of Fame celebrity golf event in Eveleth in northern Minnesota, leaving around noon to catch a flight from Minneapolis to Chicago.

He veered off the road in a 70-mile-per-hour zone of the freeway near Forest Lake. The Anoka County coroner's office ruled that Brooks was thrown from his vehicle and died of blunt-force chest and abdominal injuries. He was 66.

"We'll probably never know for sure what happened, but the marks on the roadway indicate fatigue was involved," said State Patrol Lt. Chuck Walerius.

(Copyright 2003 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)

News Headlines

Related Subjects