Published: December 27, 2007 10:31 pm      

Black ice blamed for crashes in region

SOMERSET — Black ice, the bane of winter drivers, is being blamed for as many as 18 crashes in northern Somerset County as an East Coast storm dumped rain that quickly froze.

Portions of routes 219, 56 and 403 were closed for several hours during the Thursday morning commute when bridges turned to ice, Somerset 911 Director Dave Fox said.

“All of them were pretty much on bridges,” Fox said. “They had black ice.”

Bridges generally freeze before other road surfaces because wind blowing beneath them lowers the wind-chill factor.

About nine crashes were reported on Route 219, seven on Route 56 and two on Route 403.

Fox said most of them happened between 7:30 and 9 a.m.

Two of the crashes involved emergency vehicles and at least four people were taken to the hospital, two with major injuries, state police reported.

It was a harrowing time for Friedens resident LaCreasha Longwell, who was headed to work in Johnstown when she lost control of her vehicle on the bridge near the Jerome exit in Conemaugh Township.

“I got on the bridge and was going real slow but I slid into the embankment,” she said.

Moments later, Longwell said, an ambulance slid into her car and a salt truck skidded on the ice and hit the embankment.

“It was just raining,” she said. “I just thought it was rain.”

Addison resident Melissa Wass also was driving to work in Johnstown when she skidded on the glazed road where Longwell wrecked.

“I just started fishtailing,” she said.

About six vehicles, including a tractor-trailer, crashed, she said.

“While we were standing there, another SUV came and hit the side of the bridge,” Wass said. “As we were waiting for the police, another car hit.”

Charles L. Snyder, 50, was traveling south on Route 403 and his 2003 Chevrolet Malibu collided on an icy bridge in Paint Township with a northbound 1995 Chevy S-10 driven by John A. Spiker, 38.

Both drivers were taken to Memorial Medical Center in Johnstown, where Spiker was in serious condition and Snyder was listed as stable. A fire truck and an ambulance collided at the same location, sending two people to the hospital.

Lindsay Sue Trout, 21, and Vicki Levadnuk, 41, were taken to Memorial Medical Center, where they were in stable condition.

State police said the women were pedestrians at the scene.