A woman in her 30’s died following a fatal crash involving a van in the industrial area of Watterson Park on Thursday, January 9, 2014. According to Louisville Metro Police, she was driving westbound in a Chevy van around 6:30 a.m. when the vehicle hit a patch of ice and slid off the road into a utility pole. The victim was pronounced dead at the scene. A police spokeswoman, Carey Clain, said that the victim passed through a viaduct and into a curve when she hit the ice. The victim then over corrected, slid off the road and hit a pole on the driver’s side of the van. Police believed that the victim didn’t notice the ice.
Related: Tips For Staying Safe When Driving On Icy Roads
Winter driving tips
Just in the last 10 days, Louisville has experienced cold weather that has not been seen in 20 years. Temperatures dropped to below zero and wind chills hit -25 degrees. If the bad weather continues, precipitation could make it dangerous for travel. With the severe weather and icy driving conditions, we need to be more careful. If you have to travel and go to work, it is best to know how to drive safely in snow and ice. Here are a few winter driving recommendations and reminders from AAA:
- Do not drive if you are tired. Your reaction time and thought process is reduced when you are tired. You need to make sure that you get a good night’s sleep so you will be more aware of what’s going on around you.
- Make sure your tires are properly inflated. Fortunately, many newer cars have a senor that will alert you when your tires are low on air. However, physically checking your tires is highly recommended.
- Keep your gas tank at least half full to prevent gas line freeze-up.
- Avoid using your parking brake in cold and snowy weather.
- Do not be distracted. Always focus and look where you want to go.
- Wear your seat belt correctly.
- Drive slowly and don’t accelerate or decelerate quickly.
Related: Winter Driving Safety Tips For Kentucky Roads
As a Kentucky Accident Attorney, I am concerned with how motorists deal with this unusual weather. I hope the tips mentioned above will prevent drivers from having any road incidents. We all need to remember to be patient and to allow more time to get to our destination when there’s ice and snow on the roads. We just can’t treat icy roads the same way we do dry roads.