Winter storm leads to handful of accidents

WASHINGTON — Police logs were riddled with car accidents Wednesday night and Thursday morning, as a freezing drizzle covered many of the state’s roads with a layer of ice.

The precipitation was called a “widespread glaze event,” by the National Weather Service in the Quad Cities, which said flat ice measurements came in at 0.19 inches thick in Burlington, and 0.17 inches thick in Iowa City.

While the inclement weather led to early-outs and late starts for area schools, not every commuter was able to get home before conditions turned. Call For Service logs from Henry, Jefferson and Washington counties showed over 30 entries mentioning weather, traffic, disabled vehicles or accidents between 1 p.m. Wednesday and 10 a.m. Thursday.

Among them were multi-vehicle accidents in Mt. Pleasant, Olds, Washington and rural Washington County.

In Crawfordsville, residents said they could see cars backed up for miles on Highway 218 Wednesday night, after first responders on the scene of a semi crash said initial reports of a pileup were mistaken, but that the northbound road was “effectively shut down due to ice.” The CFS report added that nobody was injured in the collision.

An accident report on that collision was not immediately available, but The Union has filed a public records request with the county seeking more information.

In Washington, a pickup truck rear-ended a school bus full of middle school and high school students Thursday morning. A state accident report filed by the city’s police department said the truck’s driver “lost control … due to the icy conditions,” causing a crash that totaled the car but left only “minor damage to the rear bumper of the bus.”

Nobody was injured in the accident, according to police records and an email from the schools sent to district families on Thursday.

“All students have been evaluated by the school nurse, and we are relieved to report that there appear to be no injuries to students or staff at this time,” said the email from Superintendent Willie Stone. “We are contacting the parents of the students on the bus directly.”

Comments: Kalen.McCain@southeastiowaunion.com