Snow Atop Ice Causes One Wild, White-Knuckle Evening Commute
MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) -- Rush hour is never any fun, but Tuesday's snow took a bad dream and twisted it into a nightmare. The flakes started falling around noon and continued right on through the evening rush hour.
The Minnesota State Patrol said the snow led to about 150 crashes, more than 240 spinouts and three jackknifed semi trucks between noon and 9 p.m. Sixteen people were injured in these crashes.
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Metro Transit reported delays for both buses and the light rail system, leaving downtown commuters in the snow.
The weather forced Minneapolis and St. Paul schools to cancel after school activities again. Many kids were let out of class early as the weather made travel tough for buses.
If you think driving is tough, just try walking. The emergency department at Regions Hospital saw its busiest day ever on Monday due to icy roads and sidewalks.
"We saw a lot of head injuries from falls, but again, it can range from anything from falling and hitting a hip or bumping a hip," said Regions Hospital's Heidi Fensky, RN. "A lot of people end up with some back injuries, shoulder injuries."
In all, the hospital saw 93 patients suffering from ice-related injuries. That's on top of the dozens of frostbite cases they treated during last week's polar vortex.
In many cities, snow plows will be out working early Wednesday morning to get everything ready for the morning commute. Make sure to give those plows plenty of room, give yourself lots of extra time to get to where you're going and keep your headlights on.
