INDEPENDENCE, Minn. - The best efforts of law enforcement and a handful of west metro communities don't seem to be enough to stop a rash of fatal and serious crashes on Highway 12 in western Hennepin County.
The latest occurred during Monday morning's rush hour, when investigators say the driver of a westbound Ford Fusion lost control just after 7:45 a.m. and slid sideways across the centerline near the intersection with County Road 92.
The Ford was T-boned by an eastbound vehicle, killing the driver of the Ford. The other driver was transported to North Memorial Hospital for treatment of non-life threatening injuries.
"the only way to prevent these head-on crashes is to put a concrete median down the center of the road or make a four lane divided highway," said Gary Kroells, West Hennepin Public Safety Director.
"The only thing we can do in the meantime is to get drivers to slow down <00:21:30;01>pay attention, don’t be distracted," said Sgt. John Giovinco, Minnesota State Patrol.
Reconstruction and cleanup kept the busy stretch of state highway either fully or partially closed until just before 12:30 p.m.
"I do not know if the word frustrating is probably appropriate," said Kroells. "It is just unfortunate. We do not want anybody to die in a crash, We want to make our citizens, the people that travel through this community, safe and right now the metro level volumes of traffic on highway 12, it is dangerous."
Kroells said Representative Jerry Hertaus (R-Greenfield) and Senator David Osmek (R-Eden Prairie) are working with West Hennepin and MNDOT to find solutions to the highway that has claimed 5 lives in the last 6 months.
Investigators describe road conditions as icy at the time of the crash. Light snow that began Sunday afternoon was blamed for dozens of crashes across the metro, including a fatal on I-35 near New Market.
Maple Plain Rescue, North Memorial Ambulance, Medina Police, Orono Police, Three Rivers Park Police and the Hennepin County Sheriff’s Office responded to assist West Hennepin Public Safety.