Ice Crashes Through Car In Roseville, Driver Suffers Minor Injuries
ROSEVILLE, Minn. (WCCO) -- A West St. Paul man is lucky to be alive after a chunk of ice flew off the top of a semi-truck and crashed through his windshield.
The thick ice smashed through his windshield around 3:30 p.m. Tuesday on Highway 36 near the Snelling Avenue exit in Roseville. The man walked away with minor injuries.
The Minnesota State Patrol wants to point out that this driver did nothing wrong. He was just in a position where he could not react to that falling chunk of ice that crashed through his windshield.
Ice and snow pack the top of cars, trucks or semis this time of year. And when you factor in the wind, that ice can easily fly off your vehicle and into the path of an oncoming car.
"It could have been a fatal crash had there been a little more speed or a little bit larger chunk of ice," Tiffani Nielson with the State Patrol said.
Nielson said 45-year-old Jon McLaughlin was in the right lane driving west on Highway 36 near the Snelling Avenue exit. He was slowing down to enter the exit ramp when, "A semi passed him on the left, side on the left side on the left lane, going at highway speeds and a large sheet of ice came, flew off the back of the semi and came into his windshield, shattering his windshield," Nielson said.
That shattered windshield cut McLaughlin and left big chunks of ice behind. McLaughlin pulled over and called for help. The driver of the semi-truck kept going.
"We don't think the semi driver knew this had come off the back of the vehicle," Nielson said.
Nielson said Minnesota state law requires drivers to clear their vehicles of any obstruction like snow or ice. It's not just semis, but any large vehicle could cause problems if the top is not clear.
"This could happen with a truck, a large truck with a large flatbed pick-up, a large vehicle, so anybody who has a larger surface area has the potential to have snow and ice that builds up and breaks free," Nielson said.
Nielson said the best way to protect yourself from flying ice is to make sure you stay a safe distance from large vehicles when driving on the interstate. She said give yourself time to react if the ice does fly. And if you drive one of these large vehicles, make sure the top and flat beds are clear of ice.