An 18-year-old Delano woman died Saturday when the car she was driving collided with a semi on icy Hwy. 12 in Independence, according to the West Hennepin Public Safety Department.
Marleena Anna Dieterich was traveling east at about 9 a.m. when she lost control of her vehicle on the slippery road, crossed over the centerline into the westbound lane and collided with the truck. Dieterich died at the scene.
The truck driver, Jesse Eugene Chase, 50, of Princeton, was not injured.
The fatality came on a day of hundreds of crashes and spinouts across the metro area and beyond. Snow and black ice that were the remnants of Friday's snowstorm were to blame in many cases. Cars half buried by snow and car parts lined many metro area roadways late Saturday morning.
MnDOT and the State Patrol warned drivers to use extreme caution, and to consult road reports posted on MnDOT's website.
The metro area and surrounding areas will get a respite from snowfall on Sunday and Monday, but frigid weather and below-zero windchills will create a hazard, including on roadways, where black ice may form.
Sunday's high in the metro will hover around 0, with wind chills as low as 29 below, according to the National Weather Service in Chanhassen. Monday will be a bit warmer, with a high near 7.
