The State Patrol on Monday continued to look for the driver of a semitrailer truck who may have stopped in the traffic lanes on westbound Interstate 94 near Monticello last week to clear snow from his windshield moments before a fiery pileup that involved 29 vehicles.
Nobody was killed, but nine people were hurt in the chain-reaction crash that happened about 9:10 a.m. Thursday at the exit to County Roads 18 and 39, when a quick intense burst of snow made driving treacherous.
Investigators are still piecing together what led to the mishap, which closed the freeway for nearly 10 hours. But "it appears the [truck's] nonemergency stop may have played a role in starting the chain of events in the crash," the State Patrol said.
Ryan Peter, of Monticello, was right behind the truck, with a white cab and trailer, when it stopped in the right traffic lane. He said he assumed there had been a crash since the roads had turned to glaze ice. As he and a minivan slowed, they started to slide at a point where the road curved and sloped downhill.
"I was nervous, and scared," he said, noting that other traffic was coming up behind him. "My cousin was killed for the same thing. A semi rear-ended her."
Peter was able to maneuver into the left lane and pass the motionless semitrailer truck, and said he was aghast at what he saw. The driver had his cab door open and was leaning out to remove snow from the windshield.
"He probably could not see," Peter said. "It was crazy. He could have pulled off another 20 to 30 feet [to the right]."
Peter used his cellphone to grab some video as he continued on, seconds before the carnage began. He said he didn't know about the crash until he got home a few minutes later and heard the sirens. By then, the semitrailer truck had left the scene.
