The Wintry End Of I-35 Is Already Seeing Weather Issues

The I-35 blog pack is already at work providing traffic accident information concerning the areas covered by the highway. C. Brooks Schuelke, Mike Bryant, Noble McIntyre, Jeremy Thurman, and Steve Lombardi are all covering the collisions taking place from end to end. On the Minnesota end, I expected at some point that we might be talking, some, about the winter conditions for us. Sure, each of the other states see their storms, but we keep the Ice Box of America up here for a reason.

What I did not expect was to be talking about these conditions in mid October. Hopefully, we will still be using our outside Twins stadium this time next year. It would be great if my beloved Red Sox were in town. But, that’s next year.

This past week we saw accidents across Minnesota caused by snow, ice, and that great excellerent speed. Saturday morning marked 15 collisions in Duluth alone. Most of the accidents happened near the 21st and 27th avenues west exits off of I-35. State Representative, Roger Reinert was in one of the crashes, and in the 40 minutes he waited for the the tow truck to arrive he saw more than six more vehicles get in accidents at that spot.

It is never too early to be safe and review the winter road tips from DPS and MnDOT :

• Always use seat belts.

• Accelerate and decelerate slowly on icy/snow-covered roads to retain traction and avoid skids.

• Do not use cruise control.

• Do not “power up” hills, which may cause wheels to spin. Build momentum before reaching a hill and do not stop while traveling uphill. Reduce speed before going downhill.

• Know your brakes. Keep the heel of your foot on the floor and use the ball of the foot to apply firm, steady pressure on the brake pedal.

• Give yourself plenty of travel time. Do not put your schedule before safety.

• Clear snow and ice from vehicle windows, hood, headlights, brake lights and directional signals.

• Headlights must be turned on when it is snowing or sleeting.

Most police officers say the key is usually to Just Slow Down.

To keep up with the blog pack read some of the great stuff posted so far:

Finding a Personal Injury Lawyer for an I-35 Car Accident, Steve Lombardi, October 18, 2009 11:33 PM

Why Hire a Lawyer After an I-35 Collision?, Mike Bryant, October 20, 2009 7:11 AM

Injured in an I-35 Accident? Real Life Reasons You Need an Attorney, Jeremy Thurman, October 22, 2009 2:26 PM

For questions you have about these collisions contact:

Steve Lombardi, 4200 Corporate Drive, Suite 112, West Des Moines, Iowa 50266 Tel: 515-222-1110 Fax: 515-222-0718

Noble McIntyre, 1300 S. Meridian Ave. Suite 501, Oklahoma city, OK. 73108 | ph: 405-917-5200

Jeremy Thurman, 1300 S. Meridian Ave. Suite 501, Oklahoma city, OK. 73108 | ph: 405-917-5200

Schuelke, C Brooks, 1717 W 6th St # 375, Austin, TX (512) 476-4944

Or me, Mike Bryant, 1505 Division Street | Waite Park, Minnesota 56387 | T: 320.259.5414 | F: 320.259.5438