On Sunday, November 25, not one but two vehicles slid off the slippery Pike Lake Road, plummeting into the ravine on the south side of the road by Cascade River. An emergency call was received from Kristen Brune of Grand Marais, at 6:30 p.m. reporting that her vehicle had gone in the ditch.
Fortunately Brune was shaken but uninjured as were the other occupants in the car—her husband, Zac Brune and their two children. All of the them were wearing seatbelts and the side air bag on the 2009 Subaru Forester deployed.
Zac Brune was driving the car when it went out of control on the icy road. Cook County Sheriff Deputy Chuck Anderson said they were fortunately traveling very slowly, so it was almost a “slow-motion” crash. The Subaru slid off the road and tipped on its side.
It was also fortunate that it did not collide with the vehicle already in the ditch. The second car stopped about 15 feet from the first.
The first car, a 2003 Ford Explorer, belonging to Jerry Schliep of Rochester, MN went into the ditch earlier in the day, at about 3:10 p.m. It appears that Schliep spun out and his vehicle slid down the bank, backwards.
Butch Schulte of Wally’s Towing was contacted by both parties. Noting that the car was in the ditch on an S-curve, Schliep said to wait to pull it out until the next day. Little did he know that a second car would also end up in the ditch.
Schulte said it was a bit complicated to remove the cars because they had gone in on the corner. He was not able to hook up traditionally. To upright the Brune’s Subaru, he had to winch it from the side. “It wasn’t too difficult though,” said Schulte.
Brune’s car had to be towed and is likely totaled. Schliep was able to drive off in his Explorer.
Deputy Anderson said no citations were issued as the accidents were due to treacherous road conditions.
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