Bismarck Tribune

By JENNYMICBy JENNYMICHAEL

Bismarck police investigated two similar vehicle accidents at the intersection of Front Avenue and Seventh Street within about an hour and a half Monday morning.

Sgt. Lyle Sinclair said the first crash was called in at 9:14 a.m. Neil Brandner, 45, of Lincoln, was driving a delivery van west on Front Avenue and ran a red light, Sinclair said.

The delivery van struck a car driven by Laurie Hulm, 21, of Bismarck, in the second lane to the east heading south on Seventh Street, Sinclair said. He said Hulm's car then struck a car driven by Mark Becker, 50, of Bismarck, in the third lane to the east on Seventh .

Both cars were propelled into the southwest corner of the intersection, and the van ended up in the middle of the intersection.

Sinclair said the collision caused about $21,000 damage. Brandner's van had about $5,000 damage, Becker's car had about $1,200 damage and Hulm's vehicle was considered a total loss, he said.

Officer Glen Ternes, who responded to the collision, said Hulm was taken by ambulance to the hospital as a precautionary measure after the air bags deployed in her car.

Sinclair said he did not believe she was seriously injured.

He said Brandner received a traffic citation for a red light violation.

Sinclair said the second accident was reported at 10:50 a.m. He said Marlys Mellum, 67, of Bismarck, was driving west on Front when she ran a red light and struck the southbound car of David Anderson, 24, of Mandan.

Damages were estimated at about $3,000 for each vehicle, Sinclair said. He said Mellum received a traffic citation for red light violation.

Sinclair said multiple wrecks at the same intersection on the same day are not common on dry roads in Bismarck.

"No, not under these good conditions," he said.

Twenty wrecks were reported at the intersection of Front and Seventh in 2005, making it No. 8 among Bismarck intersections for number of accidents that year. Statistics for 2006 have not been released yet.

(Reach reporter Jenny Michael at 250-8225 or jenny.michael@;bismarcktribune.com.)