MARCH 3, 2015
MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO/AP)
A Maple Grove woman, the mother of three school-age
children, died in a car crash Tuesday morning in Wright County.
Holly Hoglund Klein, 44, was involved in a seven-vehicle
pileup on westbound Interstate 94, near Hasty, Minnesota.
A semi-truck hit several vehicles on the icy roadway around
9:45 a.m., causing them to strike other vehicles. It’s unclear what role
Klein’s 2013 Buick Enclave had in the crash. Two other drivers sustained non-life
threatening injuries.
The interstate was closed in both directions after the
Tuesday morning crash just west of Hasty. The freeway has since reopened.
Klein’s husband, Tom, is a history teacher and
basketball coach at Saint Thomas Academy in Mendota Heights. She had two
sons who attend the school and a younger daughter.
“Our counselors and priests will be available after school
today to meet with students and faculty as needed,” Saint Thomas’s assistant
headmaster Mike Sjoberg wrote in an email to parents and community members. “At
this time, we ask for your prayers for the family and that you respect their
privacy as they grieve.”
There were more than 250 crashes on Minnesota roads Tuesday,
according to the Minnesota State Patrol.
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MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO/AP) — As snow fell on the Twin Cities
metro Tuesday morning, 150 crashes were reported, including one in
the St. Cloud area that killed a mother of three from Maple Grove.
Holly Klein’s death was announced by Saint Thomas Academy in
Mendota Heights in an email to the community.
Squad Car Hit
In a separate incident, a State Patrol squad was hit with
the trooper pinned inside.
The incident involving the trooper happened following a
crash around 9 a.m. on eastbound Interstate 494 and Concord Street in South St.
Paul.
Lt. Tiffani Nielson of the State Patrol said the trooper was
stopped on the shoulder to investigate the crash when his squad was struck. Two
other cars and a tow truck were also hit.
Initially, the trooper was pinned inside his car, Nielson
said. He was then extricated and taken to Regions Hospital in St. Paul with
non-life-threatening injuries.
I-94 Closes Near Clearwater
Authorities closed a slippery stretch of Interstate 94 in
the northwest metro due to numerous accidents for part of Tuesday morning and
afternoon. By about 1:15 a.m., though, the State Patrol said that I-94 had
reopened between Clearwater and Hasty.
EB 94 is now open, between Clearwater and Hasty
— Lt. Tiffani Nielson (@MSPPIO) March 3, 2015
The State Patrol said the most serious involved a semi that
hit a car whose driver had pulled over to change a tire. One person in the car
was hurt. The Minnesota Department of Transportation is detouring traffic
between Highway 24 and Wright County Road 8.
Crashes In The Twin Cities
March is, on average, the 3rd snowiest month in the
Twin Cities, and though not uncommon, Tuesday’s winter white was an unwelcome
sight for commuters.
In the metro, 150 crashes and 28 spinouts occurred by 3
p.m. Tuesday, the state patrol said.
In those crashes, 18 people suffered injuries. None were
killed.
An over-turned semi slowed traffic on I-35E, but for others
the commute wasn’t too abominable.
“I left early enough so it was actually pretty okay,” Taylor
Davis said. “It only took me a half hour from St. Paul.”
While most took the snow in stride, the thought of spring
was not far from mind.
“I’m definitely looking forward to warm weather,” Lisa
Vargas said. “I’m looking forward to the lake, and I’m looking forward to the
sunshine, and getting things warmed up a little bit.”
The most dangerous time on the roads was between 9 a.m.
and 1 p.m.
Officials are urging drivers to take it slow as snow
continues to fall.
Crashes Through The State
Statewide, there were 278 crashes and 121 spinouts by 3 p.m.
The busiest time for the state patrol was between 8:30 a.m.
and 12:30 p.m.
Blizzard Warnings Lifted
The storm dropped up to 6.5 inches of snow in western
Minnesota, while far eastern South Dakota got 3 inches. But blizzard warnings
for Minnesota and South Dakota were lifted.
Meteorologist Jim Taggart with the National Weather Service
in Chanhassen, Minnesota, said the state has seen about half its usual snowfall
this season. Forecasts call for high temperatures above freezing this weekend
and into next week.