The weather was just the right temperature to allow the rain to fall but cold enough for the rain to freeze once it hit the ground. Road conditions had deteriorated enough that all the local schools and businesses had closed, even the largest factory in town was set to shut down early. They advised their employees of the road conditions and told them to proceed with due caution.
But, when a thousand people get released all at once for an early day off some people just don’t take that kind of advice to heart. The wind was howling at over 30 mile per hour when the call came out of the multiple vehicle accident. Fortunately, the only damage was to the cars. One car had lost control driving too fast for the conditions and it resulted in a chain reaction crash as each driver tried to avoid another.
When we arrived on scene it was just matter of getting the traffic stopped and rerouted until the wreckage was cleared, or so we thought. What should have been a simple task we had done many times before was now turned into a Keystone Cop episode.
The roadway was an ice rink polished smooth and shiny by the falling rain and strong wind. Standing still wasn’t even possible. The driving gusts would actually start to push us around as we struggled to stay upright. With slipping, sliding and occasional falls and near falls made an already interesting call even more memorable.
What had always been a simple call before now took a herculean effort just to navigate from squad to the victims and their vehicles. If we had needed to scramble out of the way of an oncoming, out of control vehicle we would have found ourselves running in place and bracing for the impact.
That day taught me a very important lesson. Anytime the weather turned cold enough to have icy conditions on the road way I started packing a set of “chains” for my boots. There are any number of companies that make shoe chains that attach to your footwear and provide that much needed traction you need in those situations.
If drivers need them on their tires, you need them on your feet. When winter hits throw a set of boot “chains” in your go bag and stay safe, and upright on those slippery roads.
