Update: Minnesota woman dies, trooper narrowly escapes injury in freeway crash
ELK MOUND -- A 76-year-old Minnesota woman died Wednesday when the car in which she was riding hit the back of a motor home that had been stopped alongside I-94 by a state trooper.
ELK MOUND -- A 76-year-old Minnesota woman died Wednesday when the car in which she was riding hit the back of a motor home that had been stopped alongside I-94 by a state trooper.
Joan V. Bradshaw, Eden Valley, Minn., was pronounced dead at the scene near Milepost 50 in Dunn County about 1 p.m. Wednesday. Her husband, John H. Bradshaw, 75, was transported by ambulance to Luther-Mayo Hospital in Eau Claire with non-life-threatening injuries, according to the Wisconsin State Patrol. Both Bradshaws were wearing seatbelts.
Eden Valley is located in Stearns and Meeker counties, north of Litchfield, Minn.
A trooper had stopped the 2005 Prevost motor home and was parked well to the right of the fog line along the eastbound, south shoulder when Bradshaw's 1983 Chrysler passed by the squad car. The Chrysler narrowly missed the squad but "drifted" further toward the shoulder and struck the back of the parked coach, according to Sgt. Mike Newton.
Newton said the trooper, whom he declined to identify, had already exited and entered the squad twice in the course of the traffic stop and was about to leave his car to deliver a citation when the crash occurred.
The collision was captured by the squad's video camera, and the district attorney is currently reviewing the tape as part of the investigation, Newton said.
The bus, which was being driven by David Smith, 58, from Old Hickory, Tenn., apparently carried members of a band, but Newton couldn't offer further details. The bus was damaged but was able to leave the scene under its own power.
Newton said the State Patrol will use the accident video to educate both officers and the public on the dangers of such freeway stops.
The scene was about two miles west of the Elk Mound exit on I-94. The crash remains under investigation.
Wisconsin has a "Move Over Law,” passed in 2008, to help safeguard law enforcement officers, emergency responders, road maintenance workers, and others who work on the side of highways.
The law requires drivers to shift lanes or slow down in order to provide a "safety zone" for a squad car, ambulance, fire truck, tow truck or highway maintenance vehicle that is stopped on the side of a road with its warning lights flashing.
If the road has more than one directional lane, like the Interstate, and you can switch lanes safely, you must move over to vacate the lane closest to the law enforcement or other vehicle with its lights flashing.
If the road has a single directional lane or you can't safely move over, you must reduce your speed.
Failure of motorists to move over is one of the reasons that motor vehicle crashes kill more law enforcement officers on duty than any other cause.
For more information about the “Move Over Law,” click on this link: www.dot.wisconsin.gov/safety/motorist/workzones/move-over.htm
RSS Feeds