BOISE -- Emergency crews were busy all morning with weather-caused accidents. The most serious was on Interstate 84 in Caldwell.
At 9:39 a.m., Idaho State Police responded to a head-on crash in the westbound lanes of I-84 near mile post 29 in Caldwell. We are told that a motorist traveling eastbound lost control, crossed the median and slammed into a vehicle traveling westbound. One person was transported to the hospital. No word yet on the extent of the injuries.
Traffic was backed up for miles in both directions. Our crew got stuck in traffic and noticed that many vehicles were illegally crossing the median and heading back east. Shortly after 11 a.m. both westbound lanes were reopened.
There have been numerous property damage reports on I-84 stretching from Black Creeks to Canyon County.
Police report lots of slideoffs and accidents on area roads this morning due to the weather. They are urging motorists to slow down, use caution and avoid any unnecessary driving.
Ada County Sheriff’s dispatchers started getting calls at about 5:45 a.m. for assistance with snow-related crashes. Up until noon, there were 10 slide-offs, 50 non-injury crashes and eight injury crashes reported in the county.
KTVB Meteorologist Larry Gebert says a low pressure cell has parked over Boise, dumping about two-inches of snow. The snow fall began letting up around 3 p.m. However, there likely won't be any significant snow melting for a couple of days.
Overnight lows in the valley could reach single digits by Tuesday morning. Highs on Tuesday and Wednesday are not expected to get above the freezing mark. That means the snow will stay on the ground. We could see some melting by Thursday afternoon. This weather system is coming up from California. Several feet of snow has been dumped on the Lake Tahoe area.
An accident on the outbound Connector near Curtis Road shut down one lane of westbound traffic for about an hour. It happened just before 7 a.m. right outside KTVB studios. The driver lost control of this truck and slammed into the concrete barricade. No word on his injuries.
On I-84 near Meridian Road, a woman driving a pickup truck slid off the road, crashing into a fence, a barn and a tree. Susan Welch, who owns the barn, was right outside when the accident happened.
"I was feeding the horses, behind this fence, all of a sudden I heard an ungodly screeching, which to me means an accident. And all of a sudden there was snow flying up in the air and this crash, and I was on the other side of the fence. She obviously had to turn around somehow because this is right into my brand new barn," said Welch.
Our news crew says the woman driving the truck was talking and moving around. She was taken away by paramedics. No word on any injuries she might have sustained in the accident.
On Rose Hill Street there was a three-car fender bender. Laura Kidwai was one of the drivers involved. She tells us it appears the driver in front of her lost control and slowed down. Laura was able to stop, but the car behind her was not.
"She just ended up stopping, I was able to stop but she unfortunately wasn't, it was just kind of a chain reaction deal," said Kidwai.
Laura says coincidentally, she usually takes the interstate to get to work, but this morning she took Rose Hill instead to avoid the delays and accidents.
A rollover on I-84 near Eagle Road caused major delays this morning. The eastbound ramp onto Eagle Road was closed for a short time around 6 a.m. According to Ada County Dispatch, the call came in as an injury accident, but the extent of those injuries is unknown. The rollover was weather related.
The Idaho Transportation Department was out in full force early this morning putting sand and salt mix on Interstate 84, the Connector, Highway 21 and Eagle Road (Highway 55). About 50 trucks were in use.
ITD spokesman Reed Hollinshead says the pavement is too cold for de-icer to be effective, so that's why they are using the sand and salt mix. Snow plows were out early and will remains on the highways as long as needed and the snow continues to fall.
The Ada County Highway District had winter maintenance vehicles out this morning using anti-icing liquid and sand as needed. Crews have been out since Sunday afternoon, when snow began to fall in Ada County. More crews were sent out this morning in advance of the morning commute. Anti-icing liquid helps prevent snow and ice from bonding to the roadway, reducing icy and slick conditions. Sand provides traction on snow and ice.
ACHD has nearly 50 vehicles available for use during storms. Because Ada County has more than 2,100 miles of roads, ACHD has a priority system in place when responding to winter storms. Major intersections, bridges, hills, and areas around schools and hospitals are among the top priorities.
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