Warmer weather brings bad roads

The North Dakota Highway Patrol responded to 10 vehicle crashes in the Dickinson area from Thursday afternoon through Friday morning.

"Of the 10 crashes, six were property and four were injury," said HP Sgt. Will Vance. "Five of those crashes were roll-overs."

He added all of the injured parties were treated and released from the hospital.

Vance said Dickinson area officers also responded to three vehicle slide-offs.

"Most of these (accidents) were due to the snow that had blown and stuck to the road causing the road to become covered with ice and slush," Vance said.

Vance said calls came from all over southwest North Dakota.

"We had calls ranging from north of Killdeer to Hettinger and from Belfield to Hebron," he said. "There was no time of day or place that was worse than others. It was just bad all over."

Terri Wilhelm, North Dakota Department of Transportation communications specialist, said that NDDOT issued a travel alert at 5:15 p.m. Thursday due to blowing snow sticking to the roads and causing poor visibility.

Information was only available for two of the crashes that occurred Friday.

The first occurred at 11:10 a.m. on Highway 85 south of Belfied, according to information from the HP. The roads and weather conditions were clear.

Pete Schwatz, 42, of Commerce City, Colo., and Mike Rayborn, 41 of Magee, Miss., were both traveling south on Highway 85 when Schwartz side-swiped Rayborn.

Schwartz was driving a semi-trailer and Rayborn a car. Rayborn also had a passenger, Nathan Welborn, 28.

Rayborn had slowed and was going to make a left turn onto 38th Street off Highway 85 at the time he was side-swiped.

Schwartz said he saw the vehicle in front of him and was unable to slow down enough to avoid it.

Schwartz passed Rayborn as Rayborn was making the left turn. The front of Schwartz's semi collided with the left side of Rayborn's vehicle.

Rayborn and Welborn were transported to St. Joseph's Hospital where they were treated. Schwartz was charged with passing at an intersection.

Damage to the semi was estimated at $5,000 and damage to the car was estimated at $7,000. Everyone was wearing a seatbelt.

The second crash happened at 11:34 a.m. on Highway 22, 8 miles north of Killdeer.

Kenny Bougard, 41 of Minot, was traveling south on Highway 22 when he attempted to pass traffic. As he was entering back into the southbound lane the rear of his vehicle lost traction on the snow and slush-covered road. His vehicle went into the west ditch and rolled. Bougard was transported to St. Joseph's Hospital. The crash is under investigation.

Bougard was wearing his seatbelt and damage to his vehicle is estimated at $5,500.

Capt. Fern Moser with the Stark County Sheriff's Office said it responded to a rollover on 44th Street SW and 116 Avenue Southwest. The driver Dalton Beyer, 19, had three juveniles in the vehicle with him. Moser added the passengers were his cousins.

Moser said Beyer was driving too fast for the conditions, hit the brakes and went into the ditch where the vehicle rolled. Minor injuries were reported and all were treated and immediately released.

Vance said road conditions in southwest North Dakota did not improve until the sun came out Friday and melted some buildup on the roads.