Icy bridge episode #10

[Dan Robinson]

This is the worst I have ever seen it in 4 years of shooting at this location. All of this happened in less than 30 minutes and only stopped after the police shut down the highway. All told, there were at least 12 spinouts/crashes, half of which were caught on tape. Thankfully no one was hurt. A little over 1 inch of snow fell this morning.

Video and more screen captures here:

http://wvlightning.com/march172007.shtml

 

[Benjamin Sipprell]

I'm not sure which one is more thrilling ... this one, or that last one you posted with the guys who rolled their car, got out, and fled their vehicle. No one can ever identify you if you flee your vehicle. How would they know?

 

[B Ozanne]

I just saw your video on GMA.

Is there any plan to make that bridge safer? With so many accidents everytime it snows you'd think they would be hitting it more with salt. Salt Lake City installed a de-icing system on a similar bridge. It was essentially a sprinkler system embedded in the road that sprayed de-icer.

 

[James Langford]

Wow, nasty stuff. I actually just saw your video linked from the Drudge Report. The link was http://player.clipsyndicate.com/player/play/425 . It was tagged with "AP" as the credit, but I'm assuming it was yours used with permission? Your website wasn't creditted anywhere.

James

 

[Jim Hunt]

It seems SUVs and icy bridges don't mix.

 

[B Ozanne]

It seems SUVs and icy bridges don't mix.

It seems West Virginia and road salt don't mix.

 

[Dan Robinson]

Thanks for the comments! The problem with this location is that the bridge deck begins about one-sixth of the way into the tight 90-degree turn, and is not visible to oncoming traffic. In situations where the bridge ices over before the rest of the roadway (which happens at the onset of nearly every snow event), drivers coming around the curve cannot see the ice/snow cover until they are already on it. At that point there is nothing they can do if they are traveling too fast. Most of the accidents/spinouts are with vehicles traveling visibly too fast. While this location has an element of surprise in the bridge-ice factor being 'hidden' in the curve, driver behavior is probably the bigger factor in these accidents. Drivers approaching this location cross many smaller bridges prior to reaching the danger zone, all of which will be just as iced over as the big bridge is. Therefore there is plenty of warning that the big bridge will be icy just by observing the ice and snow on other bridges. Most drivers crossing the bridge are apparently aware of the conditions and therefore driving slowly, and have little problems as a result. It is the cars traveling 60-70mph that will not make it across.

The bridges ice over fairly quick with snowfall once temps fall below 31F, and the plows are usually quick to spread salt. The Department of Highways watches the weather to determine when to send the plows out. The salt trucks were a little slow to respond yesterday, but I believe this is due to the snow being an upslope event. With a typical approaching snow band, the DOH can see the precip approaching and get the trucks ready. When upslope snow begins, there is no band moving in from Ohio. The radar just suddenly lights up with the snow literally developing overhead. In fact, I almost went to bed after checking the radar at 5:30AM - it was nearly clear with nothing coming from upstream. At 6:00, the radar suddenly lit up with moderate snow shower in classic upslope fashion. Even I was caught off-guard and got to the bridge too late to catch the first 5-6 crashes. My guess is that the DOH was also caught off-guard by this, hence the slower response time.

In the late 1980s, an ice warning system was installed on this bridge and a second bridge about 10 miles west of Charleston, but it was removed after being highly unreliable. Apparently, there are other automatic de-icing systems that are more reliable nowadays. While the accident rate during icy conditions is high, the bridge only sees five or six events like this per year. A lot different from say, Minnesota or Wisconsin where you'd see far more icing events per season. Whether or not a de-icer would be an economical investment for this location would be something up for review. I plan to write a letter to the Department of Highways about the issue, although judging from their previous attempts to deal with the problem, it appears they are aware of it and up to this point have decided it is not economical to install any de-icing systems. Furthermore, icy bridge wrecks are common in WV, as many of our bridges are curved. While this bridge has an above average crash risk level, there are many other locations that present the same problem and would need to be equally addressed. For the record, this bridge ranks #5 in the top ten dangerous road locations in Charleston due to accident frequency.

One observation about yesterday's incidents is that many of the vehicles were SUVs with four-wheel drive capability. The silver Forester that spun out and hit the left barrier has full-time all-wheel drive. Possibly a little overconfidence in 4WD and AWD is to blame. BTW, the video is on the APVN (and all their affiliate sites) legitimately.

 

[Bill Hark]

Dan, I saw your video on CNN. Great stuff. I hope more people can see the video especially those who may be too confident in SUV's. Ice can be very dangerous.

You stated that the

video is on the APVN (and all their affiliate sites) legitimately

. What is APVN? I've never heard of them unless it is part of AP. Your CNN video was not credited.

Bill Hark

 

[Jim Hunt]

One observation about yesterday's incidents is that many of the vehicles were SUVs with four-wheel drive capability. The silver Forester that spun out and hit the left barrier has full-time all-wheel drive. Possibly a little overconfidence in 4WD and AWD is to blame.

We really see that around here in Indiana too. 4WD vehicles (trucks, jeeps, SUVs) think they are imune to the forces of inertia, traction, and ice.

 

[Dan Robinson]

APTN (my 'APVN' was a typo) is the Associated Press' web video service (they provide the little AP player embedded on newspaper sites). Most of the time video doesn't get credited if it's purchased. Sometimes the photog will get a mention, but it's fairly uncommon.

 

[Jim Hunt]

WHTR (NBC affiliate) in Indianapolis showed your video on the 11 PM news. However, they said it was from today. D'oh

 

[Mark Manchester]

KETV, the Omaha ABC affiliate, had it on their morning news today.

 

[Jay McCoy]

It was also on Good Morning America today.

 

[Tony Laubach]

http://www.thedenverchannel.com/video/11295249/index.html

Made it to Denver as well! Good stuff, Dan!

 

[Dan Robinson]

Thanks again for all the comments.

Just an FYI. When I shoot at the I-64 bridge location in downtown Charleston, as soon as the first car slides, I call 911 to advise the authorities that the bridge is getting bad (which is usually right when I arrive and set up). Most of the time it takes 10 to 20 minutes or more for the police to show up. Even if they do arrive, they will only shut the highway down if there is a disabled vehicle in the road. I've never seen them show up without a disabled vehicle, even if spinouts are happening.

I still make the call, even though it is already known by police and the DOH what the road conditions are (numerous bridges all over town get icy at the same time), and that this curve is bad whenever there is freezing precip. Only one out of every four or five winter precip events that cover the bridge in ice/snow result in spinouts/crashes (most drivers around here are cautious in snow and ice), so calling every time would result in the 'crying wolf' syndrome. Furthermore, the police don't respond to the scene unless accidents are already happening.

In other words, the last thing I want to do is watch someone get hurt or total their car. I do take action where I can, which is calling 911 when the conditions warrant. There have been instances with other bridges, when it is safe to do so, where I have parked my vehicle ahead of the danger zone and turned on my strobes to warn traffic (one of the very few times I actually use my lights - a topic for another thread). If I happen to be in a situation where I can prevent an accident, this takes priority over shooting video - even if it means going home empty-handed. Case in point, I prevented a large number of potential accidents during an ice storm in Hickory, NC (a 6-hour drive away and a 48-hour chase) by warning all cars that were approaching a very slick bridge over I-40. Most cars were oblivious and traveling at high rates of speed and slowed when they saw my flashing lights. I came home with little video from that chase, but the feeling of satisfaction from preventing almost certain accidents was worth it.

In most cases, particularly at the Charleston I-64 bridge, it would be extremely dangerous to park on the shoulder of the highway to warn traffic. It could even make the situation worse, causing accidents rather than preventing them. Calling 911 at the first sign of trouble is really the only option I have at the I-64 bridge location.