Clark County drivers fared well during snow

Clark County

Discussion

February 12, 2008

By STEPHANIE MOJICA The News and Tribune Tue Feb 12, 2008, 11:37 AM EST

Note to readers• Delivery of your newspaper likely was delayed today because of snow and

ice in the area.

There were no reported fatalities or serious injuries linked to snow covered roads in Clark County late Monday and into Tuesday morning, officials said. To help put the brakes on as many potential accidents as possible, the Jeffersonville Street Department began pre-treating the streets with a brine solution at 8 a.m. Monday, said Jeffersonville Communications Director Larry Thomas in a news release. As of 9 a.m. Tuesday, the street department’s entire fleet of six trucks were out working to reduce road hazards.

The Jeffersonville Police Department placed its two Humvees on the streets Monday evening, and are being used along with other four-wheel drive

vehicles to respond to more difficult road situations, said JPD Maj. Jim Craig in a news release. One of those accidents was one in which a woman

drove down an alley which had not been cleaned, subsequently crashing her car into her garage while trying to park. JPD responded to about12 accidents between 2 p.m. and 10 p.m. Monday.

There was one accident on Interstate 65 that cause a few traffic headaches early this morning. Sgt. Jerry Goodin of the Indiana State Police said a

tractor trailer was heading southbound between Sellersburg and Memphis when icy conditions caused the driver to lose control. No injuries were reported in the single-vehicle accident, which occurred near the 12.5-mile marker at approximately 4 a.m. this morning. Goodin described I-65 at the time of the accident as being “a solid sheet of ice.”

Goodin said most of the snow and ice in Floyd and Clark counties had turned to slush by the mid-morning hours, resulting in fewer accidents compared to areas further north.

“We actually got pretty lucky,” Goodin said.

To the north, ISP closed a five-mile stretch of southbound Interstate 65 from Indianapolis south to the Whiteland exit. Police say there is ice on

the roadway and more than a dozen crashes have occurred within an hour, according to The Associated Press.

A child was hurt in one crash, but the injuries are not believed to be life threatening.

In the rest of Clark County, things also stayed fairly safe for driver, said Clark County Sheriff’s Department spokesman Maj. Chuck Adams Tuesday

morning. Between 6 a.m. and about 8:40 a.m., there were three reported accidents.

“The roads are clearing up and becoming more wet and slushy,” Adams said. “We have been lucky.”

On Monday night, Adams said most people wisely stayed off the roads, which prevented a lot of potential danger. Power was shut down briefly around Dillinger Drive due to fallen lines, he said.

“Other than some loss of power, it was a pretty uneventful night,” Adams said.

The forecast from the National Weather Service said morning ice and freezing rain would change to afternoon rain in Southern Indiana today. The weather service warned of the possibility of ice bringing down tree limbs and power lines, with ice accumulation today predicted at about one-half inch. As of 8 a.m. this morning, the Duke Energy Web site reported only one power outage in Floyd County and none in Clark.

There is a possibility of snow tonight, mainly between 7 and 10 p.m., but accumulation is expected to be less than one-half inch.

Wednesday will be cold — high, 28 — and windy — with gusts as high as 22 mph. Thursday’s forecast calls for sun and a high near 46.