MENDOTA HEIGHTS — A former Minnesota Senate staffer fired over an affair with the majority leader has been critically injured in a Dakota County crash.

The Minnesota State Patrol said Michael Brodkorb’s car struck the wall of a bridge along Interstate 35E in Mendota Heights Wednesday around 9 p.m. and came to rest against a concrete median barrier. The State Patrol’s accident report said alcohol was detected. Brodkorb was not wearing a seat belt. The State Patrol said he was taken to Regions Hospital in St. Paul where he’s in critical condition.