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BEWARE OF ICE Officials respond to many accidents

Jan 23, 2008 | Annie Flanzraich | Nevada Appeal News

Just because you can't see it, it doesn't mean it's not there. At least that's what many state officials are saying about ice - on roads, parking lots and sidewalks.

"A lot of the snow has melted and frozen several times over, so we have chunks of ice obscured by chunks of snow," said Chuck Allen, a spokesman for the Nevada Highway Patrol.

During the storm that came through the Reno-Tahoe area this past weekend, Allen said the NHP handled 12 accidents, mostly the result of icy road conditions.

In Incline Village, Washoe County Sheriff's Office Sgt. Bill Devine said deputies have been handling many non-accident incidents.

"Most of them involve cars sliding off the road with no damage to the vehicles," Devine said.

In South Lake Tahoe, the roads were littered with six vehicle accidents, including two on Highway 50. The South Lake Tahoe Police Department responded to about 20 collisions near Ski Run Boulevard Sunday.

No major injuries or accidents were reported in Incline over the weekend or since, but that doesn't mean drivers should be any less cautious, Devine said.

"Just because you can get through the snow (in your four-wheel drive) doesn't mean you're going to stop any quicker," Devine said.

The North Lake Tahoe Fire Protection District has been handling calls from residents who aren't even in their cars before they become injured. Many report slipping while trying to clear their driveway in the morning, said Assistant Fire Chief Greg McKay.

"We've had enough people clearing the snow in their driveway and the slip and fall," McKay said. "We've taken them to local facilities for wrist and ankle injuries."

Accidents aren't limited to the road, sidewalks or driveways, but even extend to the slopes of Diamond Peak. On Monday afternoon, a local 11-year-old girl fell off Red Fox lift near the off loading. She was treated on site and released, said Incline Village General Improvement District Risk Manager Mike Pennacchio.

So far Diamond Peak Ski Patrol has responded to or treated 166 injuries, an average number for this point in the season, Pennacchio said. Last year there were 340.

"What we've had so far is average," Pennacchio said.