Man Killed In Snowy Accident In Blue Earth County
MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) -- A Minneapolis man died in a crash, when his car spun off the road on Saturday evening in Blue Earth County.
John Kennedy IV, 24, was trying to get his car out of the ditch on Highway 60 near Mankato around 5:25 p.m.
The car was facing eastbound but was in the westbound ditch when it was hit by another vehicle that spun out and crashed into John's car, killing him.
To say the last 24 hours have been difficult for the victim's father, John Kennedy III, would be quite the understatement.
"I'm just trying to cope hour by hour. Trying to keep it together, if I can," he said.
Friends and family said that John knew how to handle himself behind the wheel. John was a car enthusiast, who turned his passion into a career as a mechanic. But Kennedy couldn't help but worry when he heard his son planned a trip to Iowa in a snowstorm.
"I said the roads aren't that good I don't know why you're going," said his father. "He's a great driver. It's just that everyone makes mistakes and apparently he made a mistake."
For the Minnesota State Patrol, the accident serves as a sad reminder of the dangers of winter driving.
"If you went into that same area, chances are another car will go into that same area too because of the road conditions or the weather conditions," said Trooper Jeremy Geiger.
And a grieving father hopes everyone learns from his loss.
"He was a good guy and had a lot of friends. It's sad to see this happen," the victim's father.
The passenger in John's car, who family said was his girlfriend, was treated at the hospital and released. The State Patrol said they responded to more than a thousand crashes and spinouts around Minnesota.
