Video: Pileup during blizzard on Minnesota highway a 'major mess'
Video from a Minnesota towing company shows the dramatic aftermath of a pileup during blizzard conditions Friday.
The scene, on Highway 371 between Brainerd and Nisswa, looks like something out of an apocalypse movie, with dented cars off the road, and trucks barely visible in the blowing snow. The video was shared on Facebook around 2 p.m. Friday by Collins Brothers Towing Of St. Cloud, Inc. Here it is:
"Our crew handling a major mess," the business wrote, adding: "This is just north of Brainerd on 371, please avoid this area!"
Early estimates indicate the pileup involved 20-30 vehicles, State Patrol Sgt. Jesse Grabow said, with the crash happening during whiteout conditions. Grabow said there are no life-threatening injuries, and that "[s]everal motorists were bused from the scene to a local fire hall."
The crash is under investigation, he added.
The crash resulted in an emergency closure of the highway "until further notice," MnDOT said at 12:38 p.m. The provided detour has drivers using county roads to snake around North Long Lake, Round Lake and Lake Hubert.
MnDOT 511
It's unknown at this point if anyone was injured in the multi-vehicle crash.
Numerous highways in west-central Minnesota have been closed since Friday morning due to blizzard conditions. Grabow said that hundreds of motorists have wound up stranded because of zero visibility.
