Deadly Winter Storm Continues Wreaking Havoc Across US

by Jana Ritter - Published: 1/16/2017

Millions of Americans remain on high alert as a deadly ice storm continues making its way across the central states, upper Midwest and into the Northeast. So far, the storm has already caused at least six crash related deaths, created havoc on the roads, left thousands without power and caused hundreds of flight cancellations and delays.

                                                                 

Over the weekend, a state of emergency was declared in the hardest-hit states of Oklahoma, Kansas and Missouri, where ice coated roads have made travel extremely dangerous, and ice-covered trees and power lines have caused power outages across the region. On Saturday morning in Oklahoma, a truck driver was killed on the job when he lost control on an ice-covered highway, which was the site of nearly a dozen other crashes as well. Three people also died in three separate crashes caused by icy road conditions in Missouri. One was a horrific multi-vehicle crash, which caused a motorist to be ejected from the vehicle and struck by another vehicle heading southbound on Interstate 29 in Platte County. Two people were also killed in Kansas on Saturday when their vehicles slid on ice-covered roads and then rolled into nearby ditches. More than 20 vehicles were involved in a pileup near downtown Wichita, Kansas, on Saturday as well.

                                                               

The dangerous conditions continued through the weekend and on Sunday, a dash cam video captured a Kansas Highway Patrol trooper’s narrow escape from a semi-truck that had lost control at a median crossing on I-70. Thankfully nobody was injured in the incident. On Sunday, icy roads in Nebraska caused a collision between two semi-trucks on Interstate-80, where one truck erupted into a fiery blaze. Fortunately both truck drivers escaped without injuries.

                                                               

The storm system also brought severe weather and a few tornadoes to Texas. On Sunday, fans attending the playoff game between the Packers and Cowboys were forced to stay inside Arlington’s AT&T Stadium for more than an hour after the game as the area remained under tornado and flash flood warnings. The stadium was placed under an order to “shelter in place” and fans were instructed to move away from doors and windows. In Kansas City, the game between the Chiefs and Pittsburgh Steelers was delayed seven hours because of the ice storm.

According to the National Weather Service, the storm is expected to bring even more snow, rain, and ice to the regions through the rest of Monday and will slowly move toward the Northeast. "Widespread freezing rain persists for much of western Oklahoma, Kansas, northern Missouri and western Iowa on Monday,” the warning said. The weather service has also issued ice storm and winter storm warnings throughout the week extending from New Mexico to Michigan and into the North East. Truck drivers and motorists are advised to watch for untreated roads, bridges and overpasses, which could freeze due to frigid temperatures.

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