MondayâÄôs snowstorm caused more than its fair share of headaches for Minnesota drivers. By 2 p.m. there had been 359 crashes that caused property damage, 57 crashes that resulted in personal injuries and 416 vehicles that left the roadway statewide. There were no fatal crashes. Minnesota Department of Transportation spokeswoman Mary McFarland said Monday that there were 212 plow trucks on the roads that will continue working until the snowfall stops. A University of Minnesota student crashed into a storefront in the 800 block of Washington Avenue Southeast on Monday afternoon. University junior Ben Kyes turned east onto Washington Avenue from southbound Oak Street Southeast around 3 p.m. He swerved onto the sidewalk in front of Palm, Tarot and Psychic Readings on Washington Avenue after a Lexus SUV attempted to change lanes and forced Kyes off the road. Kyes hit the storefront, breaking the front window and doing a small amount of damage to the shopâÄôs wooden front wall. The SUV sped up and turned right onto Ontario Street Southeast, heading south. âÄúIâÄôm a little upset.âÄù Kyes said. âÄúIâÄôm really mad that the guy just left as soon as he saw it happen.âÄù The building was unoccupied when Kyes hit it, and he said he scanned the sidewalk to ensure there werenâÄôt any pedestrians walking before driving on it. Police at the scene said they would not be pursuing any charges against Kyes at this point. âÄúThe first cop that showed up said that they were surprised they didnâÄôt see it coming, because itâÄôs a tarot place,âÄù Kyes said. âÄúThe other one said they went home because they knew it was going to happen.âÄù Officials advised travelers to allow extra time for transit and to leave larger distances between cars.
Snow brings slick roads, crashes
A U student crashed his car into a Stadium Village storefront.
by James Nord
Published February 8, 2010
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