Two vehicle accidents on Indiana roads near South Bend on Wednesday have authorities warning drivers to slow down and be careful during winter weather, especially on potentially icy bridges.
As WSBT reported, the two Wednesday accidents happened after cold early morning winter temperatures in the area made for a slippery situation on multiple bridges and roads in the area. The winter conditions caused two separate accidents where vehicles slid off bridges just miles apart from each other.
A van lost control on an icy bridge in the area, then slid off a bridge and rolled down a hill. The driver made it out alive with minor injuries, according to WSBT.. A crane was called out to retrieve the crashed van.
"He lost control on the bridge deck, hit the concrete wall to the inside, bounced off over the guard rail, and rolled down the hill to where we see it now,” said Sgt.Ted Bohner of the Indiana State Police.
After that crash, a FEDEX truck driver who was forced to slam on their breaks caused the truck's trailer to swing out and slide. The trailer then fell over the side of a toll bridge.
It took crews four hours to lift the trailer back onto the road. The driver has minor injuries.
Sgt. Bohner said, “Most of the incidents we had this morning were due to bridge decks being icy. Just from the little bit of snow we had, and the frigid temperatures just made everything have that slick glaze over it.”
According to police, it doesn't take much moisture to create an icy bridge after freezing temperatures.
