A utility terrain vehicle passenger died late Thursday in a crash in southern Minnesota that ended with the operator arrested and accused of being drunk, officials said.

The wreck occurred about 11:40 p.m. south of Mapleton near County Road 7 and 105th Street, the Blue Earth County Sheriff's Office said.

The Sheriff's Office identified the passenger as Susan M. Quiram, 59, of nearby Elysian. She died while pinned under the UTV, the Sheriff's Office said.

Lance E. Leiferman, of rural Mapleton, was jailed on suspicion of criminal vehicular homicide while intoxicated.

"Alcohol is believed to have been a factor in the crash," a statement from the Sheriff's Office read. Charges have yet to be filed as of Friday afternoon.

According to the Sheriff's Office:

Police responded to reports of a man asking for help because a woman was trapped under a UTV. Mapleton police met with Leiferman, who led the officer to the crash scene, a grassy and wooded area surrounded by a cornfield.

The UTV rolled over in an area where excess water had accumulated. Quiram, who did not have on a seat belt, was thrown from the machine and trapped beneath it.

Paul Walsh is a general assignment reporter at the Star Tribune. He wants your news tips, especially in and near Minnesota.

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