While he had not planned to retire quite yet, Ken Solarz took advantage of the Rule of 90 to retire from the Upsala School District, following an automobile accident. The accident left him with several fractured ribs, four vertebrae fractures, collapsed lungs, a concussion and three weeks in the hospital.
The accident happened May 13, Mother’s Day. Solarz said, “We went to St. Cloud to have dinner. Our son Bobby was with us. We were making a left turn at the lights by Fleet Farm when we were T-boned by a driver who ran a red light.” His wife, Ruth, spent three days in the hospital and suffers from back and neck injuries. Bobby was treated and released.