THE THUNK JARS my focus from the computer screen to office window.
Through the pane, I notice an overhead wire swaying.
My first view of the crash through my living room window.
I grab my camera, always at hand, dash to the living room and focus on a vehicle that has taken out the stop sign.
No need for me to rush outside as several motorists stop.
I don’t know the circumstances of the crash. But the side street past my corner house feeds into an arterial road. The driver may have curved toward the stop sign and power pole to avoid crashing into traffic during the 8 AM rush hour. And, yes, there are morning, after school and after work rush hours.
Streets are slicked with a layer of fresh snow. Only 10 minutes or so prior, a City of Faribault truck sprayed sand onto the roadway. Even so, these things happen, especially when driving downhill.
The driver documents the crash scene with his cell phone.
Damage to the vehicle’s front appeared substantial from my sideways glimpse through the window.
A Faribault police officer arrives within minutes.
Be careful out there, both on sidewalks and roadways.
A City of Faribault worker removes the downed stop sign and replaces it with a temporary one.
Allow extra time to stop, especially at icy downhill intersections.
© Copyright 2015 Audrey Kletscher Helbling
Minnesota Prairie Roots 
Well I guess we know how your morning is going. It could have been worse. At least it appears there were no injuries. Its so nice here I have the windows open to air dry my freshly mopped floors.
I felt bad for this motorist, to have his day start with a crash. I shoveled snow at our house and the neighbor’s place. While temps have warmed from the double digits below zero, the wind is still biting cold.
I wish I could open windows.
Poor driver, that bites! It is almost a daily occurrence here as we do not use salt on the roads and for most of the winter the roads a slick. Add to the mix that there are always new folks that have never driven on ice such as folks from Texas, Florida etc. I have though that by the looks of all the cars awaiting repairs that the body-shop business must be profitable! Drive careful!
Definitely a good time for the body shops.
I’m seeing a common thread/thought in today’s posts: “Snow Shadows”,”Snow Day” and your “Slick Roads”. Home and quilting this morning kept me safe…..thus far. …..BUT….I//we are hungry for fried fish!!! Hmmmmmmm…….
Ah, a Friday Night Fish Fry. I really ought to check one of those out once.
The fish was awesome!!!!!
Good to hear. And where was the awesome fish consumed?
Wytoka Tavern. Met some ppl we hadn’t seen in a while. Not much for ambience, though. ☺️
Always fun to connect, though, with friends you have not seen in awhile.
Good driver in trying to avoid other motorists or pedestrians while trying to stop on ice of all things. Glad to hear no one was hurt too. Distance, patience and slowing down are key!
Stay Warm and Safe – Happy Weekend 🙂
Not sure exactly what happened. But, yes, good that no one was injured.
It is hard to know what happened here – but some drivers will simply not slow down. I remember creeping along I35, threading my way through cars that were pointed in unsettling directions, when a pickup passed me doing at least 70 mph. Of course, he soon vanished into a fountain of snow.
Oh, yeah, I know the type…you almost chuckle when you see them in the ditch.
I’m just glad it wasn’t car vs pedestrian, people just need to slow down, always in a hurry. Glad no one was hurt!
Yes, Randy said to me, “Good thing you weren’t shoveling snow.”
Dear oh dear. I can imagine that on icy roads it is very difficult to keep a moving vehicle under control. Over here if you don’t have a 4-wheel drive, you have to drive with chains on your tyres! (That’s because we’re so inexperienced with driving in snow and ice!) xx
Chains on tires were common decades ago. But as far as I know, they are not longer allowed in Minnesota because of the damage they cause to roads.
You all have lots of snow…we have ice and nobody drives well on ice!! So glad the stop sign was the only fatality…
We really do not have much snow at all for a Minnesota winter. And that’s fine by me. When I was in southwestern Minnesota on Saturday, I actually saw a dust storm in a field.