Troopers Warn Drivers After Close Call

NEWPORT, Minn. - Two Minnesota State Troopers and a medic trying to help a driver after a rollover crash knew they needed to use some extra caution while stopped along a busy ramp in Newport.

It paid off, after a "near-miss" Wednesday afternoon. Video from trooper's squad cars and traffic management cameras captured some frightening moments on the exit ramp from Westbound 494 to Southbound Highway 61.

A driver hits a patch of ice, loses control, and spins around, finally stopping just inches from the squad car, and just a few feet from the emergency personnel.

Corporal Curt Karges said, "You feel helpless. There's not much you can do except run and try to guess where the car is going to go."

Luckily, no one was hurt. Troopers said the drivers involved in the first accident and the "near miss" lost control while exiting from 494 Westbound to Southbound Highway 61.

Just moments later, a third driver was forced to take the ditch and avoid another crash. All three drivers complained they hit patches of ice on a mostly clear stretch of pavement.

Lt. Eric Roeske of the MN State Patrol said the weather conditions hovering around freezing often cause unexpected dangers on the roads.

Lt. Roeske said, "People need to keep that in mind when driving home from work every day."

The State Patrol also wants to remind drivers of Minnesota's "Move-Over" Law, which requires motorists to move-over or slow-down for stopped emergency vehicles.