Wet conditions cause accidents that injured two in Detroit Lakes
Monday afternoon and evening was not a good one for many. Extremely wet snow caused a large amount of accidents throughout the region, resulting in five deaths.
Near Detroit Lakes, though there were no fatalities, there were still plenty of calls for help.
Captain Kelly Shannon of the Becker County Sheriff’s Office said they received several calls Monday with reports of accidents. The biggest one, though, was east of Detroit Lakes on Highway 34.
According to the Minnesota State Patrol, Pamelyn Ressler, 65, of Detroit Lakes was driving a 2011 Pontiac Grand Am westbound on Highway 34. She lost control of her vehicle, spun around and struck a 2009 Chevy Impala driven by Juliana Matson, 57, of Frazee.
The call came in at about 4:45 p.m. Monday. Ressler is now listed in critical condition, and Matson sustained minor injuries.
Minnesota State Patrol Sgt. Jesse Grabow said, “State troopers responded to a total of approximately 191 crashes. Of those crashes, 44 resulted in injuries and two fatal crashes. The two fatals claimed the lives of five people.”
There was one more death reported near Valley City, N.D.
Alexandria area was the site of five fatalities. One occurred at approximately 3:06 p.m. on I-94, about five miles west of Alexandria. The crash involved three vehicles and killed four people.
The victims include Lauren Peterson, 18, of Prior Lake; Jordan Playle, 19, of Elk River; Danielle Renninger, 18, of Excelsior; and Megan Sample, 18, of Rogers.
The four women are originally from the Twin Cities area, and three were suite mates at North Dakota State University.
The other fatal occurred at approximately 3:32 p.m. on Highway 28, about two miles west of Glenwood, which is about 17 miles south of Alexandria. Steffanie Dahlseng, 26, was westbound on Highway 28 when her vehicle spun out on a patch of ice, slid into oncoming traffic and was hit by a semi truck. She died in the crash.
Near Valley City, 16-year-old Ashley Meyer of Oakes lost control of her car and spun into the lane of an oncoming minivan.