1 dead, dozens hurt in 400-plus crashes during Minnesota's late December snowstorm
MINNEAPOLIS — The biggest snowstorm yet this season made for some treacherous road conditions in the Twin Cities and much of Minnesota on Thursday.
The Minnesota State Patrol says between midnight and 8:30 p.m., there were 453 crashes with 38 resulting in injuries and one fatality; 281 vehicles went off state roadways; 37 semis jackknifed and more than two dozen spinouts were reported.
Organizing the response was a state patrol dispatch center in Roseville that fields all the emergency calls.
"My biggest concern is, do we have adequate staffing to manage the undoubtedly increased call volume that we're going to be receiving throughout the day?" said Tim Boyer with the state patrol.
Icy cloverleaves and on-ramps caused vehicles to stall across the metro, including a big rig that closed down the ramp from Highway 100 at eastbound Interstate 494 in Bloomington. A semi also had to be towed out of a ditch off Interstate 694 in Oakdale.
A school bus slid off Highway 100 near Interstate 694 in Brooklyn Center, where it remained for hours before a tow truck's rescue. Brooklyn Center police say children were on board at the time and were safely moved to another bus. No one was hurt.
And just as snow started to fall in Minneapolis overnight, a driver lost control of their car and crashed into a northeast laundromat. A WCCO photojournalist was at the scene off Broadway Street Northeast. It's unclear if anyone was hurt.
"It takes a great deal of patience [to be a dispatcher], empathy, certainly the ability to multitask," Boyer said. "You've got a lot of things coming at you at one time. You need to be able to determine what takes priority, what does not."
The Roseville facility directs trooper response all across the metro and as far as Duluth and Brainerd.
A second dispatch center in Rochester handles southern and western Minnesota.
Anyone can access MnDOT's 511 map that gives up-to-the-minute road conditions, closures and where crashes are happening. But the tech can only help first responders so much.
"We rely heavily on the driver and the citizen out there seeing things happening," Boyer said. "That individual making that call to us requesting assistance, whether they see something or whether they're involved in something, we encourage you to call 911 and talk to us."
If you do find yourself in an accident, call 911 and stay inside your vehicle until first responders arrive.
