10 vehicles involved in serious injury crash on Hwy. 169 overpass
Multiple vehicles were involved in a crash on Hwy. 169 over I-694 early Wednesday morning. (FOX 9)
MAPLE GROVE, Minn. (FOX 9) - Ten vehicles were involved in a serious injury crash on the Highway 169 bridge over Interstate 694 on the border of Brooklyn Park and Maple Grove early Wednesday morning, according to the Minnesota State Patrol.
The crash occurred around 4:45 a.m. The State Patrol said vehicles on southbound Hwy. 169 had lost control on an icy bridge deck, causing a multi-vehicle pileup.
A 57-year-old Osseo man got out of one of the vehicles and was struck by an oncoming minivan. They were transported to a nearby hospital with serious injuries.
One other driver suffered non-life-threatening injuries.
Both the south and northbound lanes of Hwy. 169 were shut down for several hours.
The crash remains under investigation.
Snow overnight created some wet driving conditions in the Twin Cities metro Wednesday morning, leading to a number of spinouts and crashes.
While the snow has not generally been sticking to roads, elevated surfaces like ramps, bridges and overpasses are particularly susceptible to ice, so drivers are being warned to watch out for sneaky slippery zones. FOX 9 Meteorologist Cody Matz says this is because elevated surfaces are far more susceptible to temperature changes because they are surrounded by the air. It takes the ground much longer to fluctuate because of the influence from below.
Ice on an overpass vs. on an interstate. (FOX 9)
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