First snow of the season keeps police occupied with accidents
Posted on Tuesday, December 2, 2008
Arkansas State Police troopers got a little bit of a rest Monday after dealing with a flurry of motor vehicle accidents on Interstate 540 caused by the area’s first snow.
Capt. Lance King said that his Troop L worked 35 accidents from 6:30 p.m. until midnight along the interstate — 13 in Benton County, resulting in two injuries, and 21 in Washington County, resulting in four injuries. Officers also worked one accident in Madison County.
“Most of them were on bridges and overpasses, which are usually the first to ice up,” King said.
The largest chunk of accidents was in southern Washington County near the Winslow exit on I-540. King said the expansive bridges and overpasses there got slick early in the night and caused cars to slide into walls, guardrails and each other. He said many drivers were going highway speeds, about 70 mph, hit the ice and wrecked. He said the first snow probably caught most drivers by surprise.
“The first (snow) always seems to be the worst,” King said.
Fayetteville police officers saw a little bit of action as well Sunday night, about 12 calls between 7 p.m. and 11:30 p.m. Two officers assisted the busy state police with what turned into a snowballing pileup on the Fulbright Expressway between the Gregg Avenue and Arkansas 112 exits.
Sgt. Bill Phelan said that an officer went to assist a car that had slid into a ditch when two other cars spun out of control. Phelan said that those cars exchanged information and moved on right after another car hit a guard wall. One officer pulled his vehicle in front of the car against the wall to protect it, and while the officer was working that accident, a different car slid and hit the police cruiser. Phelan said luckily no injuries occurred.
Fayetteville officers also responded to about three calls on East Huntsville Road near the White River bridge.
King’s advice to drivers as snow and ice become frequent factors is to drive slower, especially when approaching bridges or overpasses.
“The most important thing is to adjust their speed. That air underneath those bridges causes (the road on the bridge) to freeze a lot quicker than the rest of the road,” King said.
He said that if drivers do find themselves losing control of their vehicles and spinning out, they should let off of the gas pedal and resist the urge to hit the brakes.
“Sometimes the car will come back into alignment,” King said.
Phelan added to King’s advice.
“You need to assume when it’s wet that bridges are icy. Hit the brakes long before you come to the bridge and then coast across it without accelerating or braking,” Phelan said.
Northwest Arkansas’ first snow did not amount to much, according to the Pete Snyder, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service. He said the snowfall resulted in no measurable accumulation.
The cold temperatures are predicted to end this afternoon when temperatures are forecast to jump from the low 30-degree area to the low to mid 50-degree range during the day and hold at that range during the day for about a week. Nights could stay around the mid to high 20s.
Snyder said a little rain predicted for Wednesday night but he doesn’t think it will be enough to cause any freezing conditions.
FEEDBACK:
Something to say about this topic? Submit a Letter to the Editor online
