Snowy, icy road conditions cited in several vehicle accidents

Dana Melius, The Free Press, Mankato, Minn.
Updated ·2 min read

Oct. 29—The Free Press

No serious injuries resulted from several late Saturday vehicle accidents, the Minnesota State Patrol reported, as slippery road conditions caused by the region's first snow and ice were noted.

Late Saturday, a 2015 Chevrolet Tahoe driven by 52-year-old Christopher Scott Pratt of Spirit Lake, Iowa, was southbound on Hwy. 169 near Le Sueur when it hit a concrete barrier. Pratt and passenger Beverly Ann Pratt, 49, Spirit Lake, Iowa, suffered non-life threatening injuries and were treated at Mayo Clinic Health System in Mankato.

The Le Sueur Police Department and Le Sueur Fire Department, Le Sueur County Sheriff's Office and Sibley County Sheriff's Office responded to the incident.

A two-vehicle crash in Faribault County late Saturday resulted in non-life threatening injuries to a Lakota, Iowa couple. Both vehicles were traveling eastbound on I-90 in Blue Earth Township when they collided.

Juan Jose Limon Chavez, 56, was driving a 2006 Chevrolet HHR, along with 43-year-old passenger Martha Perez. Both were treated for injuries at United Hospital in Blue Earth. A 22-year-old Sioux City, Iowa, female, Marissa Rose Wolfe, was driving a 2022 Jeep Patriot but was not injured.

A two-vehicle accident on the Hwy. 15 Minnesota River Bridge in New Ulm resulted in non-life threatening injuries to three individuals.

Dale Lee Lowdermilk, 47, Cottage Grove, was driving a 2004 Dodge Dakota southbound on Hwy. 15, and Casey Linus Koop, 16, New Ulm, was driving a 2002 Ford F150 northbound when the two vehicles collided. Lowdermilk was treated for minor injuries at New Ulm Medical Center.

Koop sustained minor injuries but was not hospitalized. Passenger MacKenzie Jo Enter, 16, also suffered minor injuries but was not hospitalized. A second passenger, Carter MacGregor Holmquist, 21, was not injured.

Responding to the accident were the New Ulm Police Department, Brown County Sheriff's Office, New Ulm Fire Department and Allina Ambulance.

Another two-car accident southbound on Hwy. 169 near Le Sueur involved a 2019 Toyota Corolla driven by 20-year-old Brook Eshetu Taffesse, Mankato, when it collided with a 2021 Fold Explorer parked on the southbound shoulder. Driver Jesus Alberto Saenz, 33, residence unknown, suffered non-life threatening injuries and was treated at Mayo Clinic Health System in Mankato, as was Taffesse.

The Le Sueur Police Department, Le Sueur County Sheriff's Office and Sibley County Sheriff's Office responded.