Man killed in Blue Earth County crash

 

Icy roadways led to multiple crashes Monday, including one that killed a man in Blue Earth County between Mankato and Eagle Lake.

Forty-four-year-old Matthew Steven Ulmen of Mankato reportedly died at the scene of a crash on Blue Earth County Road 17 about 200 yards east of County Road 12.

Ulmen was reportedly traveling east on County Road 17 in a 2004 Mercury Marquis when  he reportedly crossed into the oncoming lane of traffic and crashed into a 2018 Ford F-150, driven by Neil Kermit Grunzke, 62, of Wells, according to the Blue Earth County Sheriff’s Office.

Grunzke was not injured.

Weather and icy road conditions are believed to have been a factor, and the crash remains under investigation.

In a separate crash on Minnesota Highway 13 south of Manchester, Alfin Ware Withrow, 56, of Mankato was taken to Mayo Clinic Health System in Albert Lea after his pickup was struck by a semi on Minnesota Highway 13 south of Manchester.

Withrow was driving a 2004 Dodge Dakota south on Highway 13 when he spun out, ending up partially on the shoulder and in the ditch, according to the Minnesota State Patrol.

A 2015 Chevrolet Trax driven by Teresa Ann Shawback, 55, of Manchester slowed for the Dakota and was rear-ended by a 2016 Kenworth semi-tractor driven by Klare Eugene Doggett, 44, of Coal City, Illinois, according to the report. The trailer of the semi reportedly swung around and struck the Dakota, causing it to roll at 8:28 a.m.

Shawback and Doggett were not injured in the crash.

All involved were wearing their seat belts, and alcohol was not a factor in the crash, the report states.

Jackknifed semis were also reported on both interstates 35 and 90, along with other crashes, according to the MnDOT website.