DES MOINES, Iowa — The Iowa State Patrol responded to 233 calls for service between 12:00 a.m. and noon Wednesday as the falling snow caused roads to be slick and visibility to decrease.
Of the total calls, 54 were crashes and 179 were motorist assists. Injuries were reported in eight of the crashes and there were no fatalities.
While live during Today in Iowa, WHO 13 News witnessed a vehicle spin out as it was driving west on I-235, just past exit 5B. The car was in the right-most lane and drifted towards the left lane, heading directly towards a truck. The incident happened at around 6:45 a.m.
Incidents like this are the reason officials are warning Iowans to stay off the roads on Wednesday.
“The Department of Transportation and all of our other maintenance folks are doing a great job clearing the snow off the roadways. One of the things that we’re struggling with [is] the single digit temperatures today. Unfortunately, that salt and that brine mixture is not going to work today so they’re not able to put that on right now, so they’re clearing the roadways off, ” said Sergeant Alex Dinkla with the Iowa State Patrol.
Despite officials working all hours Wednesday morning to assist on accidents and stranded motorists, Dinkla says the number of incidents could have been way higher. Having schools closed and businesses working from home or postponing operations made for lighter traffic and less congestion on roadways, thus leading to fewer accidents.
He said Iowans are still not in the clear since the light and fluffy snow is projected to continue falling for most of the day.
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Dinkla says his crews will continue to monitor the roads all day because if the winds pick up, the fluffy snow can be easily picked up and relocated, reducing visibility for drivers and creating slick spots.
In Des Moines, officers with the Des Moines Police Department responded to 10 crashes between 6:00 a.m. and 10:00 a.m. on Wednesday. Sgt. Paul Parizek, spokesperson for the DMPD, said no injuries were reported in the crashes and five of them happened on I-235.
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