Last Tuesday, a man driving westbound on Highway 36 in Roseville was hit by a large sheet of ice that flew off the top of a semitruck in front of him. The sheet of ice hit the man’s windshield directly, causing severe damage to the vehicle and minor injuries to the driver.

Luckily, he was the only person in the car.

Shortly after being hit, the man managed to take the nearest exit onto Snelling Avenue and bring his vehicle to a stop. The semitruck that dropped the ice never stopped, and it has yet to be located.

According to the State Patrol, it is illegal for motorists to drive with material on their vehicles that could break loose and cause harm to anyone surrounding them.

But despite this fact, the law still doesn’t require semi drivers to clear debris from the top of their vehicles — they only need to ensure visibility through the front and rear of their trailers.

This requirement is simply not enough for Minnesota, a state where spontaneously snow can appear in the springtime and whose residents endure sub-zero temperatures at unpredictable times of the year.

State law ought to require semi drivers to clear all debris off of their vehicles — completely.

There should also be grounds for semitrucks driving with unsafe debris on the tops of their vehicles to be ticketed or given a large fine.

This precaution is not something to take lightly. This is not the first time flying ice has hit a car, and it certainly won’t be the last.

The state of Minnesota needs to take action before any of these events become irreversible fatalities.