By SHANNON HAUGLAND
Sentinel Staff Writer
A driver sustained “bumps and bruises” and traffic was brought to a standstill over O’Connell Bridge this morning when the vehicle hit a patch of ice, crossed the center line and hit the guardrail on the other side, police said.
Police Sgt. Lance Ewers attributed the accident to icy conditions.
“She was going too fast for conditions,” he said. “It’s a good reminder – this is the first day (of the year) we’re seeing it. People forget the roads are wet and as the sun comes up these wet roads turn to ice.”
Police received the 911 call around 7 a.m., reporting the accident. Ewers said the woman, 52, was driving her 2011 Chevy Colorado to work on Japonski Island, when she hit the ice as she rounded the curve heading uphill. She lost control of the vehicle and crossed into the oncoming lane and struck the guardrail.
“Thankfully there were no vehicles coming in the opposite direction or it could’ve been a head-on collision,” Ewers said.
Police, a fire truck and an ambulance responded immediately. The woman sustained minor injuries and was taken to the hospital by her husband as a precautionary measure. The pickup had thousands of dollars in damage after its front end was smashed in, and tire rod snapped, police said.
Ewers said no tow truck was available, so police arranged for a public works department forklift to remove the vehicle from the lane of traffic. Traffic was slowed or was brought to a standstill as the tow truck moved the vehicle across the bridge and into the RV park on the Japonski Island side. It took a while for the slow-moving forklift to make it to the other side, Ewers added.
Police said the woman had “bumps and bruises – no life threatening injuries,” and did not need an ambulance ride to the hospital.
Ewers said it took about an hour for traffic to clear. He noted a few areas of town tend to ice up quickly and create dangerous driving conditions, including O’Connell Bridge, Indian River bridge, Jamestown Bay and Lake Street from Sitka High School to the roundabout.
“Starting now through the entire winter season, drivers – be cautious in these early morning hours,” he said.
