Roseville, MN — A man from West St. Paul, 44-year old Jon McLaughlin, was slightly injured on Tuesday afternoon of this week after his car was hit by some ice that fell from a semi-truck. This happened on Highway 36 at about 3:30 p.m. on Tuesday, March 3, 2015.
According to the news reports, McLaughlin had been driving west along Highway 36 that afternoon and was near the Snelling Avenue exit when a semi-truck drove past him.
A large portion of ice broke off the trailer of the semi-truck and crashed through Mr. McLaughlin’s windshield.
He was forced to pull over on the highway, but the semi-truck driver didn’t stop and kept driving. The semi driver may not have realized anything was wrong. Jon McLaughlin wasn’t badly injured, but was treated for some minor injuries, the news said.
Map of the Accident
View from the Road
Commentary:
To my knowledge, it’s actually a state law in Minnesota that drivers need to clear their vehicles of ice and snow before getting on the road. That’s safe for the drivers, yes, but also for other motorists on the road who might be hit by flying debris and ice. This is an extreme example of how that can go wrong, and it seems like this semi-truck driver should have checked his truck a little better before taking off that day.
This is also a situation where I can see the truck driver (or the trucking company) shrugging the accident off and saying it was an innocent mistake — I’ve certainly heard that argument made for more serious mistakes. But if the police are saying it’s unlawful to drive a car loaded down with ice that might break off at any moment and hit someone, then semi-truck drivers are no exception. If this driver is ever found, they (or the company they worked for) may be on the hook for the damage done here.
— Grossman Law Offices
