The Fourth of July is one of America’s great patriotic traditions. But, like any summer holiday, the Fourth means higher traffic volumes and a greater risk of suffering catastrophic injury in a car accident.
A fatal crash that occurred just southeast of the Twin Cities involved a twist not often seen in more typical holiday accidents. In this crash, the victims were struck by a state trooper on his was to another crash.
The accident occurred after a 28-year veteran of the Minnesota State Patrol got a call about an injury crash involving a motorcyclist who collided with a deer. He reportedly switched on his lights and siren to respond to the call. But in Cannon Falls, a 78-year-old driver in a 2012 Ford Taurus was pulling out of a parking lot. The officer was unable to avoid the Taurus, and slammed into the vehicle in a t-bone collision. Both the driver of the Taurus and his wife, the only passenger in the vehicle, were killed.
The State Patrol officer was airlifted to the Mayo Clinic in Rochester to receive treatment for serious injuries.
The area in which the crash took place is not generally thought of as a problem spot for crashes. But the incident goes to show that when traveling on the roads and highways in and around the Twin Cities, danger can present itself in an instant. If you were injured in a crash, or if you lost a family member, you cannot undo the damage that has already been caused. But, you might be able to secure fair compensation for the harm done.
Source: Pioneer Press, “Cannon Falls: 2 dead in collision with State Patrol squad car,” Will Ashenmacher, July 5, 2014
