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Walloped again

By Staff | Feb 7, 2011

Members of the Blue Earth Fire Department work to free two people from this overturned pickup truck on Tuesday, Feb. 1. The accident happened on I-90, just east of Blue Earth.

It has become an old refrain: snow, cold, more snow, more cold. Repeat.

The region was hit with another major winter storm last week, bringing travel and schools to a halt.

The storm, which lasted from Monday through Wednesday morning, caused Blue Earth Area and United South Central Schools to be closed on Monday and Tuesday. While they were both open on Wednesday (although two hours late), other schools in the area were closed for a third day.

All evening events, including high school sports, were postponed to later dates.

The Blue Earth area was reported to have had seven inches of new snow over the two days.

This storm was not limited to the immediate area. It covered 60 percent of the U.S., stretching across 30 states from New Mexico northwest to Massachusetts.

Travel in most of the local area was treacherous and limited.

Local law enforcement agencies reported numerous accidents, vehicles in the ditch, and several one vehicle rollover accidents.

One occurred on Monday, Jan. 31, eight miles east of Blue Earth.

A driver of a 1998 Pontiac was taken to UHD hospital, treated and released.

Tuesday afternoon at 4:36 p.m. there was another rollover, this time involving a 2007 Lincoln pickup.

The driver and passenger were trapped in the truck, and had to be dug out of the snow by members of the Blue Earth Fire Department, before being transported by the Blue Earth Ambulance to UHD.

Both were treated for injuries and released.

Blue Earth Fire Chief Roger Davis says the department has responded to 11 accident calls on I-90 so far this winter. Last year they had 12 total.

“We had two minor rollovers on Monday, but the two on Tuesday required digging the victims out with shovels and using the jaws of life,” Davis says.

“We were called out six times in the two days,” he adds. “It keeps us pretty busy. Sometimes we just get back in, and get called right back out.”