Spring in Lakeville Can Mean Icy and Slippery Roadways When Snow Melts and Refreezes

Last Saturday morning at about 8 a.m., Officers Nic Stevens, Sandy Thoeny, Rick Bussler, and Sergeant Jason Polinski responded to the report of a personal injury motor vehicle crash near the intersection of Interstate 35 and 185th Street. When the officers arrived on the scene, they found a white Ford pick up, with significant roll over damage, laying upside down on the northbound entrance ramp to I-35 from 185th Street. The driver of the truck had been ejected from the vehicle onto the roadway.

The officers rendered first aid to the driver and an air ambulance helicopter landed on the scene. The helicopter transported the injured driver from the scene of the crash to a local hospital.

Fortunately, in spite of the significant damage to the vehicle, the driver’s injuries appeared non-life threatening.

The officers found that the single vehicle crash occurred when the vehicle had been traveling northbound on I-35 and the driver lost control on an icy spot on the roadway and went off the right side of the roadway, rolling down the embankment before coming to rest upside down on the northbound ramp.

Since the crash occurred on the Interstate, the Minnesota State Patrol handled the crash investigation with our officers assisting.

We have all been enjoying a welcome warm up with temperatures well above freezing the past few days, but a serious driving hazard that can develop when the snow starts to melt during the daytime is the refreezing of small areas of the roadway when the overnight temperature falls below freezing. Experienced drivers know at this time of the year to use caution when crossing over and under bridges due to slippery conditions that might exist, but the refreeze of the roadway can occur at any location where water from melting snow is running across the roadway and the temperatures fall below freezing at night.

By the numbers:

Activity for the week of Feb. 10 through Feb. 17:

Lakeville Police responded to 13 traffic crashes, 28 alarms, 36 animal calls, 32 medical emergencies, 15 thefts, and 173 traffic stops.

Residential fireplace fire:

Officers Sarah Parr and Brad Wubben responded to a residential fire one night last week that . When the officers arrived on the scene there was heavy black smoke coming from the rafters and the back of the home.

Lakeville Fire Department units arrived on the scene and did a great job extinguishing the blaze, preventing the fire from spreading to the entire structure. The fire started in the area of a wood burning fireplace and may have been related to a blocked or plugged chimney flue.

Unexpected car fire:

Officers Jim Stevens and Mike Lamm responded to a report of a car on fire on 175th

Street one night last week. When they arrived on the scene, they found the car was burning from the engine bay area and no one was around.

Lakeville Fire Department units arrived on the scene and extinguished the blaze. A short while later the owner of the car arrived at the scene, quite surprised to see that his car had burned up. He told the officers that he was driving his car and it suddenly quit running. The owner of the car went to get help to tow the car to his house. The owner told the officers that when he left there were no indications that the car was on fire.

Impaired judgement:

Officer Adam MacDonald responded to a report of a possible drunk driver at a local fast food restaurant at about 3:00 a.m. last week.

MacDonald arrived at the location and located the suspect vehicle. He stopped the vehicle for a traffic violation and subsequently arrested the driver for DUI. The vehicle was towed to the impound lot and the driver was transported to the police department.

The original suspicion call had come in to the dispatch center because the driver had pulled into the drive up window of the restaurant to buy food and appeared so impaired that the restaurant employees felt compelled to call.

The driver was booked and released pending formal charges for DUI.

Dumb criminal of the week:

Officer Adam Stier stopped a vehicle for speeding, traveling 70 mph in a posted 45 mph zone. When Stier spoke with the driver, he observed that the driver appeared to be under the influence of alcohol.

The driver failed a field sobriety test and Officer Stier placed the driver under arrest for DUI. The 22-year-old driver was placed in Dakota County Jail pending formal felony level DUI charges as this was the driver’s fourth DUI arrest since 2005.