Rain transitions to snow, making for another messy commute
MINNEAPOLIS — Messy road conditions continue Tuesday as rain turns back to snow in the Twin Cities.
Multiple crashes were reported in the metro area Tuesday morning, including several on Interstate 494 from Maple Grove down to Minnetonka.
The Minnesota State Patrol reported 319 crashes between 9:30 p.m. Monday and 9:30 p.m. Tuesday, with reports of an additional 290 vehicles spun out or off the road. Twenty-three of the incidents involved an injury, the patrol said.
Some commuters said the tough driving conditions came out of nowhere.
"I'm sliding everywhere," said Ken Cook of Minneapolis. "Everybody's sliding. You gotta drive very cautiously."
Several hundred crashes were also reported during the spring snowstorm between Sunday and Monday. Hundreds more vehicles lost control on slick roadways and ended up in ditches, on shoulders and elsewhere off the road. Most of the crashes occurred on Sunday after the storm arrived.
MORE: What should you keep in your car emergency kit?
If you ever find yourself in a crash, the safest place you can be is inside your car. Since roads are slippery, there's a greater risk of injury if you're standing outside.
Tow truck drivers busy as storm leads to hundreds of spinouts
Icy roads caused havoc on Minnesota roads as law enforcement and tow truck drivers responded to hundreds of crashes and spinouts.
One of the people responding was Tate Smith, owner of Kustom Karriers, a towing service based out of Minnetonka.
"Stuck calls, people in a ditch, but were still getting all the regular AAA type service calls, roadside service calls, flat tires, tire changes," Smith said.
He said the winter blast in spring appears to be catching drivers off guard.
"There's still a lot of unpreparedness for these conditions, especially when they hit late in the year like this," he said.
Being a tow truck driver is a dangerous job. It's made worse when drivers don't move over to allow them room to work, particularly on the highway.
"I want to go home to my kids and my wife at the end of the day just like everybody else does. So if you give us a little room to work with, slow down at least, that's the most we can ask for," he said.
On Tuesday, Smith rescued Amazon driver Michelle McKenzie who found herself stuck on an icy road in Wayzata.
"These back roads are the tricky ones, you just never know," McKenzie said.
Despite the long hours, Smith said the job is rewarding because he gets to help people.
"People are having a bad day already, so if you can make it a little easier, get them to a safe place, tell them their car is being taken care of. I leave them with a smile even if it's not a great day. It helps," he said.
Crews work to clean up roads with some challenges
Public works crews say this is a storm with many layers that's going to take longer to clean up.
Inside Hopkins Public Works, the sounds of these plow engines mean clean-up is underway. Operations superintendent Dustin Pavek said his team is working overtime to clean it all up.
"We've got snow on top of slush which is on top of ice on the roadway," Pavek said.
A triple threat making for a messy commute and leading to spinouts and crashes.
"The snow we are plowing is wet, heavy, big snow," Pavek said.
Clearing is going to take longer as crews switch gears from plowing to treating the roads.
"Being able to get the slush and snow off first, then being able to come and salt behind it, that's going to fluff the ice up into slush and snow and that's why we are going to come back again and make another pass through," Pavek said.
As the work continues, Pavek wants residents to know they are doing their best and ask for space and patience.
"Get off the street if you can so we can get by and go curb to curb that'd be the best for us," he said.
Work is expected to continue late into Tuesday night and early Wednesday morning.