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By Derek Woellner —

Two different cars struck the same crosswalk median within hours of each other this past weekend. The second car was flipped completely upside down from the impact.

The accidents happened at around 2:30 and 4 a.m. on Saturday, Feb. 28. Each accident involved a car striking the crosswalk median on 13th Avenue East, between the HKMC and South Hall freshmen dorms and the Sports and Fitness Center.

Freshman Singsai Xiong witnessed the first accident from his dorm room in HKMC. After hearing a loud noise, Xiong looked out his window and saw a white ’99-’00 Ford Mustang that had crashed into the median. After knocking over a sign and hitting a post, the Mustang backed up and then continued further up the road.

Xiong believes that the driver of the Mustang was a male Stout student pulling out of parking lot 4. The collision with the median heavily damaged the front left wheel and bumper of the car.

About three police cars responded to the initial accident.

Stout junior, Chip Rector, witnessed the second wreck. He saw a car headed east hit the damaged median. It then flipped over onto its roof and slid into the oncoming lane. It seems that the damaged median acted as a ramp when the second car hit it.

It is unclear whether the second driver was a student or not. Multiple fire trucks and at least five police cars were called to the scene of the second accident.

Between the accidents, at around 3 a.m., a night security assistant caught a student taking the sign that had been knocked over after the first accident. The sign was handed over and the student was reprimanded.

The Menomonie Police Department has not yet released an official report.

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