1 dead after driver hits tow truck parked on the side of the highway near Rochester
The Minnesota State Patrol reported 140 crashes statewide during Sunday's snowstorm, including one fatal collision in southeast Minnesota.
The deadly crash happened around 5:25 p.m. in Marion Township – southeast of Rochester in Olmsted County – on southbound Hwy. 52 near 36th Ave. SE. According to the crash report, the driver of a 20112 Chevy Cruz was southbound on Hwy. 52 and collided with a Ford F-650 tow truck that was parked on the shoulder.
The driver of the Chevy, identified as 32-year-old Dane E. Christenson, of Saint Charles, died at the scene.
Road conditions were slick from snow at the time of the crash. The Rochester area picked up around 9 inches of snow, according to the National Weather Service.
Of the 140 crashes statewide, 14 were injury crashes in addition to another 126 vehicle spinouts and six jackknifed semis.