WILLMAR -- A Pennock woman escaped serious injury Friday morning in Willmar when the pickup she was driving hit a frosty patch on the road and flipped two or three times.
According to Willmar police, Melissa Akerson, 39, was driving north on Highway 71 Northeast near Homewood Park when her 1998 Ford Ranger spun out on the icy frost. When the vehicle hit slush on the shoulder of the road, it began to flip. Witnesses said the pickup flipped in the air and rolled two or three times before landing.
The Kandiyohi County Rescue Squad was called to extricate Akerson from the vehicle. She was taken to Rice Memorial Hospital, where she was treated and released.
Officer Marilee Dorn credits Akerson's use of a seat belt for the minor injuries. "She was saved by the belt," she said.
