Storm yields another crop of accidents: ‘Slow down’ says VSP

By Shawn Cunningham
© 2017 Telegraph Publishing LLC

“It’s pretty simple,” said Sgt. Chris Buckley of the Vermont State Police Westminster barracks, “you can’t continue to drive at 65 when the road is covered with snow.”

Dozens of motorists learned that lesson during Tuesday’s storm as the VSP responded to 47 calls for crashes, cars off the road, trucks stuck on the road and other travel-related problems out of a total of 92 calls for all causes.

“We punched a lot of cases,” said Buckley, a patrol commander who noted that there were between four and six troopers handling the cases including him.

“The snow was predicted and some people had to travel,” said Buckley during an interview on Thursday, “but they have to slow down and acknowledge that snow-covered roads are slippery.”

Buckley said that not having proper equipment – like snow tires – is another contributing factor to all the accidents.

Tow trucks were also busy throughout the area. Reed Truck Services responded to a number of incidents, including one in which the driver of a tractor-trailer going heading north on I-91 in Westminster lost control of his rig, crossed the median and ended up jackknifed and blocking the passing lane of the southbound side. There were no injuries and Reed pulled the truck off the median and towed it away.

Some decided that sitting out the storm was a good option and the Exit 7 truckstop in Springfield was full with parked tractor trailers.