Auto Body Shops Busy Due To Dangerous, Icy Roads
(WCCO) -- Auto body shops around the metro are repairing vehicles damaged in this weekend's ice storm.
According to the Minnesota State Patrol, there were more than 400 accidents from late Saturday through Sunday afternoon.
Hagen's Auto Body owner, Paul Hagen, did not need to wait until Monday to know that he would have a busy week.
"We're fairly used to it -- happens every year," he said.
When the freezing rain started falling Saturday night, he knew there would be accidents and those drivers would start calling.
"Things have picked up considerably," he said.
From minor fender benders, to more serious accidents, Hagen and his staff see it all.
"Working late hours, getting all the cars repaired, helping out. That's some of what we do," said Hagen.
Many drivers complained that the salt trucks weren't on the roads right away, Saturday night. MNDOT officials said the storm arrived earlier than expected and even their on-call drivers were caught in it.
MnDOT said it did have some trucks on the roads when the storm started around 10 p.m. Saturday. They thought the freezing rain would hit between 1 a.m. and 3:00 a.m. Sunday.
