Snow makes for treacherous driving, causes crashes
Published 10:53 am Friday, May 3, 2013
Drivers continued to slide into ditches, get stuck and cause accidents as of Friday morning, according to local law enforcement.
While neither the Austin Police Department nor Mower County Sheriff’s Office had traffic accident totals from Thursday, Sheriff Terese Amazi said her deputies responded to “a lot.”
Most of the responses were to vehicles stuck or that slid off the road; however, there were some accidents, including a rollover at about 7:45 a.m. Friday about six miles east of Austin on Interstate 90. The sedan lay overturned in the median, but no other vehicles were involved. According to the deputy on scene, both people in the vehicle were OK. None of the local accidents thus far have resulted in fatalities or serious injuries, according to Amazi.
Many were unprepared for such treacherous conditions on May 2 and 3. Amazi mentioned two people from South Dakota got stuck in the ditch, and one was wearing shorts, Crocs shoes and a tank top.
The Minnesota State Patrol also responded to its share of crashes; however, statistics weren’t available as of Friday morning.
Amazi urges drivers to stay belted, keep their lights on and drive slow as conditions are unpredictable.