The New Year came in with a roar, bringing heavy snow and wind—and many accidents. Fortunately most were minor, but many people have been inconvenienced by an unexpected slide into the ditch, beginning with a motorist who got stuck on a corner on Fall River Road on New Year’s Eve, December 31.
On New Year’s Day, Cook County Law Enforcement received two calls of vehicles in the ditch in the Lutsen area and another up the Gunflint Trail near Windigo Lodge. Sheriff Deputies assisted with traffic on the Gunflint Trail as Cook County Towing got that car out of a difficult spot.
Cook County seemed to be digging out from the storm on January 2 and there was only one report of a tow needed on the east end of the county near Reservation River.
However, a fresh storm, dubbed the “Polar Vortex” by national news media followed on January 3, 2014 and several more calls came through to Cook County Law Enforcement for help getting unstuck. Calls came in at 9:52 a.m. on Upper Road in Grand Portage and 10:17 on Fifth Avenue in Grand Marais for vehicles blocking the road. In the afternoon at 3:49 p.m., another vehicle got stuck on Fifth Avenue, partially blocking the roadway.
Just a short time later, at 4:52 p.m. a call came in to Law Enforcement of several cars in the ditch on the Ski Hill Road in Lutsen. The caller reported “at least six vehicles off the road.”
At 7:51 p.m., a vehicle slid into the ditch on Fall River Road in Grand Marais.
Throughout the county, dozens of other vehicles were pushed and pulled out of snowfilled driveways and streets without being reported to Law Enforcement.
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