Saturday’s Snow Causes Nearly 450 Crashes In Minn.

November 19, 2011 9:21 PM

MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) – The season’s first significant snowfall caused bedlam Saturday on Minnesota’s roads, resulting in nearly 450 crashes and one death.

State Patrol Lt. Eric Roeske said that from noon to 8:30 p.m. Minnesota’s road saw 442 crashes. Forty-eight of those crashes resulted in injuries, one of which was serious and one of which was fatal. Some 282 of the crashes involved cars spinning out or running off road, and two of them involved squad cars.

Of all the crashes during that time period, 261 happened in the metro, which saw 28 injuries and 126 cars off road. The fatality, however, did not happen in the metro, Roeske said.

Police have yet to release information regarding the crash (or crashes) that killed one and left another seriously injured. Police said that as of 8:30 p.m., no more crash updates will be given Saturday.

Across the state, up to a foot of snow fell. The Minnesota Department of Transportation said they have 126 crews working 12-hour shifts to deal with the slick roads and heavy snow.

10 P.M. Weather Report

Ferris Lind

This doesn’t surprise me one bit
Tracy M

Another GREAT JOB by MNDOT. BOOO

Brian

What does MNDOT have to do with anything, moron? How many people drove the on the same roads as the idiots who crashed and made it to their destinations just fine? Guaranteed-you’re either A) a right-winger who gets upset because you pay too much in taxes, then complains when the govt doesn’t come through for YOU, or B) some left-winger who’s upset because the government isn’t making your pathetic life more tolerable. So which is it? Maybe these morons crashing have only themselves to blame.
Yeah, Really

What do you think MNDOT should have done? They don’t plow, salt or sand city or county roads.

Considering how inattentive, unskilled and clueless many Minnesota drivers are, I’m surprised the number wasn’t twice as high.

Jake

Actually, MNDOT, counties, and cities should have had salt trucks out and about at about 10am YESTERDAY, so the first part of the snow didn’t melt when it hit the warm pavement, then FREEZE when the temps dropped below freezing. That would have prevented the roads from being as slippery as a hockey rink. By 2 or 3 pm, it was TOO LATE for the salt to do much good. My city dropped salt on my street about 5pm yesterday, and today, it doesn’t even look like it was done at all, because NOW, it’s TOO COLD for the salt to do any good.

@Jake

take a chill pill Jake and go back to bed.
They would have been flat out dump and wasteful to do so. If and when rain hits it washes away. We talking a smattering fo snow Jake, a pittance of whats to come. Slow down, drive smart and we have maybe 50 accidents. People in MN are HTG the dumbest, poorest drivers in the lower 48. I drive 60-70K a year and have for 40 years plus.
Save the chemicals for when they truly are needed and keep the dumbest drivers inside their homes. We have limited resources for roads but seemingly unlimited numbers of idiots on the roads

Jake

@ “@Jake”, get back on your meds or put down the pipe. This is a late first snow here, there should be enough in road budgets to drop down some salt to minimize the icy, not snowy, road conditions. I’ve driven here for over 30 years as well, and I know that there are a lot of dumb drivers, but yesterday was much like that ice storm that we had in late November of last year. The state saved a ton of money from the shutdown last summer, so there should be plenty of money there, since we still had to pay all of the GAS TAXES during the shutdown.

Darwin fan

Darwin wins again.
Human Nature

Amazing how people who live here all their lives and the first drop of snow, they forget how to drive and all Hell breaks loose, more proof that we the Humans are the dumbest mammals, we repeat our mistakes and unable to adapt.

fred

everybody talks the talk. the first snow usually turns to ice on the road and gets very slippery……then the dimestore physio-annalist come out of the woodwork

NO!!!!

Slippery roads? In Minnesota? After a snow?

Who coulda knowed?

Billy

The people that get into accidents when the conditions are bad like ice and snow are the people who don’t know how to drive.

Braking is one of the worst things you can do when the roads are icy and slippery, speeding is another thing ya don’t want to do when the weather was what it was like today.

Its all preventable if some people had common sense but i guess a lot of you have no common sense,
Sara

Saw the eerie’st accident on the ramp from 494wb to 61s last night around 10pm – SUV totally engulfed in flames after being in accident. Hope driver (and passengers) are okay – the smoke gave me a headache so bad, and the sight of car gave me an uneasy stomach to boot.

jackactionhero

Had a friend coming home from the Wild game who saw the same thing. He said it was so engulfed in flames that he couldn’t even tell what kind of vehicle it was. Total CarBeQue. I checked swcbulletin.com but there’s no story about it there either.

Matt

Every year people freak out when it snows… It isn’t just the first snow fall its every time it snows. people would four wheel drive are the main problem. They think it will save them from getting into a crash. Listen people Four Wheel Drive makes you go, it doesn’t make you stop.
MN Tax payer

Or state is a disgust with its political issues. We dont have anyone in the administrative positions who can make a simple decisiion. We are still seeing results from our gov shut down. It looses thousands of dollars per day from inadequate personnel. The roads this weekend are an example of the outcome ( lack of funding), MN used to be on top of their game when it came to making our roads safe, now the taxpayers (funding provider) suffers from the inadequacy. If we performed at our jobs like they do we would be FIRED!!!!! AND REPLACED! At what point do we as taxpayers make the decisions to overcome the incompetence. We need safe roads for our kids, grandkids and generations to come.
justaxnspend

Go team!!!!!!!!
( I own a body shop)
Dynamo

Because they still think it is summer and drive 80mph!! Bunch of idiots.