Thursday, November 09, 2000

A 14-year-old Austin girl was taking a short cut across Interstate 90 with four friends Wednesday at 5:37 p.m. when she was hit by a car traveling westbound. The driver of the car, Dennis Ziemann, of Fairmont, told police he had seen two girls on the west shoulder of the road and was commenting on that to his wife when he heard his vehicle impact something.

When he got out of the car, he found the juvenile female on the side of the road. She had lacerations to her right leg and was taken to the Austin Medical Center, where she was treated and released.

The accident was handled by the Minnesota State Patrol. Ziemann was not charged, although the juvenile female and her friends were all cited for walking on the freeway, which is illegal.

Vehicle rear ended

Also in Austin Wednesday, Karina Potter of Hokah, Minn. ran into the back end of Louis Nagle’s car when Nagle had to brake quickly while driving west on 18th Avenue NW. Potter said she was unable to stop quickly enough to avoid the collision.

Several passengers in the Potter vehicle suffered minor injuries in the accident: Brandon Potter broke his left pinky finger; Victoria Potter had a bruised left eye; Kyle Potter had a sore knee and Karina Potter had a sore back. They were treated and released at the Austin Medical Center.

Man injured in head on collision

At least one victim of another accident on Wednesday didn’t escape so lightly. Joseph W. Tapp, 84, of Brownsdale was traveling northbound on Highway 56 one mile south of Brownsdale, when he collided head on with a vehicle driven by Todd W. Trettin, 26, of Carpenter, Iowa. Both men were wearing seatbelts. Trettin was treated and released at Austin Medical Center. Tapp was admitted to the hospital. No condition report was available on Tapp when the Herald went to press.

The accident is under investigation by the Minnesota State Patrol.