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A rude awakening

By Staff | Feb 25, 2013

After having two days off from work, getting the week started and into the swing of things can be hard.

It’s called the Monday morning blues.

Lorenz Mau of rural Winnebago didn’t have that problem.

The time was around 5 a.m. and Mau was fast asleep in his bedroom.

“There was this bang. I thought lightning hit and I bounced right up in bed and sat up,” says the 75-year-old Mau.

“The noise blew me right out of bed. I have never gotten up like that before,” he adds.

Seems the “bang” was the rear axle of a 1993 Chevy pickup smashing into the front of his house located along U.S. Highway 169.

Mau’s house is located four miles north of Winnebago, on the east side of Highway 169.

According to the Minnesota State Patrol, a pickup driven by 64-year-old Lyle R. Wolle of Truman collided with a 2000 Mustang driven by 20-year-old Alberto Padron of Vernon Center around 5:08 a.m.

“I sure figured it was going to be an ugly scene. Angels were definitely guarding them,” says state trooper Leslie Johnson. “It is phenomenal, the damage done to the house.”

The accident report says Wolle was eastbound on 240th Street and Padron was traveling north on Highway 169 when the collision occurred at the intersection of the two roads.

“Both vehicles ended up in my front yard. There were plastic bottles, papers, tools and other junk scattered all over,” says Mau.

The Faribault County Sheriff’s Office, Winnebago Ambulance and Fire Department were called to the scene.

Road conditions were listed as wet, but the State Patrol’s report did not say that was the cause of the accident.

The pickup truck was towed across the street to 4 x 4 Truck & Auto parts, where workers spent the morning removing tires.

On a table inside Mau’s house are two screwdrivers he found in his yard. But, he says most of the debris was cleaned up.

Mau spent most of the morning answering the phone and talking with insurance agents.

It was nearly 11:30 a.m. and Mau says he still hadn’t made breakfast for himself.

“I don’t need another Monday like this,” he says.

Despite the damage to his house, Mau feels somewhat fortunate.

His fishing trip to Grand Rapids was cut short because of sewer line problems at the cabin.

“I would have been up there, came back to this and wondered what the heck happened,” he says.

Wolle reportedly was not injured in the crash, but Pardon sustained minor injuries.

Authorities say he was transported to United Hospital District in Blue Earth, where he was treated and released.