There was a lot of slipping and sliding going on around this area today, though not intentionally ~ including me. Warmer temperatures (44F this afternoon) made for a lot of melting and dense fog. In fact, we are under a dense fog advisory until 12pm Monday. Visibilty at noon was barely a block at times, making it difficult to see cars in front of you, even when they had their lights on (and yes ~ there were some idiots out there who did not have lights on). I slipped on some ice at the bus stop and bruised my left palm and left calf, jarred my elbow, and twisted the knee a bit. Yes, I'm okay, though really tired and a little sore tonight. (And wouldn't you know the rude people upstairs just started laundry at 10:15pm, so there'll be no sleeping for quite a while. Grrr!)
My incident was nothing compared to the mess on I-90. Two chain reaction accidents led to multi-car pile-ups involving at least 100 vehicles, shutting down the Interstate for much of the night. One lane in each direction has now been re-opened, and they anticipate having all lanes open for the morning commute.
The first accident happened about 2:30pm just south of the Beltline (Hwy 12-18) near Hwy N, three miles down the road. My sister and BIL were stuck in the traffic coming back from Ho-Chunk Casino, but thankfully were not involved in the accidents. They were able to safely exit I-90 and detour around the affected section of highway.
Sadly, there were two fatalities, and three others with life-threatening injuries. About 50 people suffered minor injuries, with most being treated and released from area hospitals. Staff are standing by tonight in the event there are more injuries, but hopefully this incident gets peoples' attention and they slow down. Madison Metro was on the scene to provide a warm shelter for those involved, and transportation to the Wingate Hotel where the Red Cross was offering assistance to those in need. The Salvation Army and local restaurants also provided assistance.
From Channel 8 news in La Crosse: "The preliminary investigation shows that some motorists were traveling at least 70 mph ~ above the 65 mph speed limit. Steeber says with the foggy conditions, people should have slowed down."
Gee, ya think??
Please, please people: slow down, turn your lights on, and stay alert (and off your damn cell phone!) if you have to be on the roads in these conditions. With the warmer temperatures, melting snow, and rain moving in, dense fog is likely to be with us throughout the week. Don't let yourself become a statistic!
Local coverage:
Channel 15 News
Channel 27 News
Channel 3 News
Wisconsin State Journal
