Delano Herald Journal

Serving the communities of Delano, Loretto, Montrose, MN, and the surrounding area

Howard Lake woman killed crossing Highway 12



A Howard Lake woman is dead after she attempted to cross
Highway 12 Nov. 9.

Rhoda Jean Peterson-Shealy, 55, of Howard Lake, was walking
southbound in the crosswalk located in front of the Old Town Gallery, when
she was struck by a 1991 Chevrolet Suburban driven by Peter Todd Stevenson,
15, of Bloomington.

The youthful driver had a legal permit and was sitting
beside his father, Todd Stevenson, 46, of Bloomington. They were towing
a boat, according to the accident report.

Peterson-Shealy died enroute to North Memorial Hospital
in Robbinsdale.

“It was dark,” commented Kathy Main, who was
two cars behind the Stevensons when the accident occurred.

Main was directly behind the Stevensons when they first
came into town from Annandale, southbound on Wright County Road 6, she said.

“He was driving just as well as anyone could,”
Main said of Peter Stevenson.

The Stevensons turned eastbound onto Highway 12.

The Stevensons’ signals and lights on both the SUV and
trailer were working and engaged, Main said.

By the time she also turned left onto the highway, the
accident had already happened, Main said.

“People were waving their arms and trying to stop
traffic,” she said.

Main parked and attempted to offer assistance ­ not
knowing what the situation was yet, she said.

At first she couldn’t distinguish the figure lying on the
road, Main said. However, she got close enough to see Peterson-Shealy laying
face down two or three feet from the sidewalk by the old Werner hardware
building location.

Peterson-Shealy was wearing dark pants, a dark navy or
black top, and a dark cap, Main said. “There was no reason anyone would
have seen her,” she said.

“The father was sitting on the sidewalk, with his
son wrapped in both of his arms,” Main said of the Stevensons.

Peterson-Shealy was walking in the west crosswalk when
she was thrown near the east crosswalk, according to State Trooper John
Derichs.

This intersection is near the apartment where Peterson-Shealy
lives, above the Piece Makers Quilt Shop at Highway 12.

Immediately, four members of the Howard Lake ambulance
crew responded to the scene, said Fire and Ambulance Chief Tom Diers.

An additional five local people from the fire department
responded as well, Diers said.

“The response was phenomenal,” he said of the
emergency crews.

These people worked by the numbers as a team, and did everything
they could for Peterson-Shealy, but her massive injuries were just too much,
Diers said.

In fact, Peterson-Shealy had the advantage of having a
helicopter coincidentally stationed at Monticello, rather than the Twin
Cities, where it normally would be, he said.

Local ambulance crewmen stabilized Peterson-Shealy, and
called for the advanced life support ambulance, which is stationed in Buffalo,
or about a 15-minute trip, Diers said.

The helicopter also responded, being only five minutes
flight away, rather than 15 from the metro area, Diers said.

The advanced life support team continued to respond, in
case the helicopter had problems landing, or something went wrong, Diers
said.

Ambulance members prepared Peterson-Shealy for the trip,
checking the extent of her injuries, and placing her on a backboard.

The helicopter touched down at the Dura Supreme parking
lot, which is the favored location at night for helicopter pickups of this
nature, Diers said.

Two other locations are sometimes used, Memorial Park and
Yaeger field. Occasionally, the helicopter will land in fields if there
is a accident outside of town.

Since Peterson-Shealy was so gravely injured, the helicopter
paused only briefly to pick her up before taking off.

In fact, the helicopter blades didn’t even slow down, Main
said.

However, Peterson-Shealy died enroute to the hospital.
“She had massive trauma,” Diers said. “Even if a team of
surgeons had been standing there, it wouldn’t have helped her.”

Main blamed the accident on what she said was poor lighting
given by the new light poles erected last summer during the Highway 12 construction.

“They may look pretty,” Main said of the new
lights. “But they are functionally useless.”

“It’s a shame,” Main said. “It’s just going
to happen again.”

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published.