MPI receives hundreds of collision claims after 'catastrophic' Friday blizzard

Manitoba Public Insurance is still getting claims from people whose vehicles were damaged during a blizzard that swept through southern parts of the province late last week.

The Crown corporation said as of noon Wednesday, 725 people had filed claims for damage to their vehicles during Friday's storm, which led to highway closures and crashes across southern Manitoba, including a multi-vehicle pileup just east of Winnipeg city limits that left a 30-year-old dead.

MPI spokesperson Tara Seel said Wednesday there were more than 500 collision-related claims on Friday, but the number has continued to go up.

"Lots of people were affected by the blizzard," she said during an interview on CBC's Radio Noon. "Tow trucks were busy. Our lot where there's damaged vehicles is pretty crowded. It was a pretty catastrophic event."

Seel said well over half of the collision claims MPI gets each year are from the winter months.

"We would ask everybody to slow down unless road conditions are ideal," she said. "You want to make sure that you slow down, drive for the conditions."