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January 12, 2011

Winter weather results in wrecks

Julie Yates Staff Reporter

Mayes County emergency officials said most vehicle wrecks that occurred during winter’s first snow were minor accidents.

Emergency Management Director Johnny Janzen said numerous crashes happened from Sunday night through Monday morning as vehicles hit slick spots. The county only saw a small amount of snowfall, but the snow melt froze as temperatures dropped.

“Once the roads got a little wet they just glazed over in certain spots,” said Janzen.

Most of the weather-related accidents occurred south and west of Chouteau, and most were on state highways.

Chouteau Fire Chief Ted Key said in the Mazie area, between county roads 620 and 650, Highway 69 was iced over. “It was just a glazed sheet of ice,” he said. Several areas west of Chouteau on Highway 412 were also covered in ice.

Key estimated at least 20 accidents in the Chouteau area during the 24-hour period of the storm.

“Some were just spin-outs,” Key said. There were also several roll-over accidents. “A lot of people driving way too fast on the roads.”

Key said one driver who rolled his vehicle near the intersection of 620 Road and Highway 69 stated he had slowed down to 45 miles per hour. Under icy weather conditions, Key said 45 mph might be too fast.

Key said there were no serious injuries. Most of the motorists involved in the crashes were wearing seatbelts.

The side roads were still slick in the Chouteau area Tuesday, but there had been no accidents by late Tuesday morning.

In Pryor, the accidents were fewer. One rollover occurred Monday morning north of town, just south of 440 Road. The driver was transported to a hospital, but was not seriously injured. Another wreck happened along the Pryor Creek bridge.

Janzen said the Oklahoma Department of Transportation spread salt and sand by mid-morning Monday. After the salt and sand were down, Janzen said, “(The wrecks) pretty much all came to a stop.”

 

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