Icy Roads Lead To A Number Of Highway Injuries and Deaths

This week has already been a snowy one. It seems like between clean up crews catching up from last week and budget issues the roads are even slicker than usual. The icy roads in combination with speed and no seat belts has killed and injured too many Minnesotans.

• Tuesday night, A Maple Grove family was seriously hurt when their minivan struck a semitrailer hanging over an Interstate 90 overpass in central Wisconsin. The family remains hospitalized at Hess Memorial Hospital in Mauston. All were wearing seat belts at the time of the crash.

• Tuesday evening, a St. Cloud State University football player was injured and his passenger was killed will heading east on Interstate Highway 90. A semi truck moved into their lane where it hit the Toyota Camry they were in.

• Tuesday morning, a minivan rolled over on Highway 10 north of Sauk Rapids killing the driver and injuring his two passengers.

• Early on Tuesday, a 17-year-old Jordan girl was in critical condition after a three vehicle crash at the intersection of Highway 282 and Highway 169.

• Monday evening, a 14-year-old from Eden Prairie, Minn. was killed in a crash on Highway 101. The Ford Escort she was in lost control and swerved into oncoming traffic. It was struck by a 2004 Ford Explorer, which tried to turn to the right of the car but struck it on the passenger side.

• Sunday evening, a Cass County man was airlifted to the hospital after a two vehicle crash on Cass Co. Rd. 157. The driver of the other vehicle was killed. The State Patrol is still looking into the cause.

Our sympathies go out to all of those involve who were injured or lost. As with any death in a Minnesota motor vehicle collision, there are a number of issues that will need to be reviewed. My partner, Joe Crumley, addressed this topic in a article for the Minnesota Lawyers Trial magazine. I was interviewed on the same topic.