Fair / 46° F
Measurable snowfall raises havoc
Published 11:53am Thursday, December 3, 2009Otter Tail County’s first measurable snow of the season contributed to icy roads and several accidents around the region Wednesday.
Fergus Falls trucks started sanding city roads as snow fell during the day Wednesday, continuing until about 8 p.m., according to Public Works Director Anne Martens. Trucks were back out by 5 a.m. Thursday and were expected to continue sanding as staff monitored intersections and additional snow accumulation.
It was the first time this year that city trucks have been out sanding.
“This is very late,” Martens said. “Usually we have snow in November” and sometimes as early as October, she said.
Wednesday was also a busy day for Beyer Body Shop and Towing.
“I’m sure we had a dozen (calls), if not more,” Mike Beyer said Thursday morning.
Most of the calls came from the Fergus Falls area, where one vehicle hit a tree and another hit a curb, Beyer said. Beyer staff were out on Interstate 94 early Wednesday evening after a U-Haul rolled in the westbound lane near Dalton.
The Minnesota State Patrol reported multiple rollovers in Wilkin County, including an accident on State Highway 210 eight miles east of Breckenridge Tuesday morning. A North Dakota woman, 48-year-old Carol Marten of Mooreton, was transported to Breckenridge Hospital with non-life threatening injuries after her vehicle rolled around 9 a.m.
A Hewitt woman was taken to Lake Region Hospital around the same time after her vehicle rolled on State Highway 78 four miles north of Ashby. Julie Peterson, 42, sustained minor injuries in the accident, according to the State Patrol.
The Fergus Falls area has a 20 percent chance of snow showers overnight Thursday and continuing into Friday, according to the National Weather Service.
