Fatal Accident Blamed On Weather, As GTA Pummeled By Day-Long Storm
Posted February 1, 2008 12:00 pm.
This article is more than 5 years old.
As the snow came down in the GTA, the crashes went up – and now one of them has taken a life. The OPP has confirmed there have been more than 560 accidents since the snow started falling at 4am Friday morning.
And while they attended hundreds of them on the highways, none proved fatal until a terrible mishap at Major Mackenzie and Highway 27. Around 2pm, an SUV heading westbound lost its traction on the slippery surface and slid into an eastbound transport truck. By the time emergency crews reached the scene, a 53-year-old male van driver was dead.
Police on scene say the weather was definitely a factor, along with the condition of the deceased man’s tires. “Unfortunately you can’t drive as if it’s dry conditions and from the indications we have this gentleman was travelling close to the speed limit and also the tires on the rear of his motor vehicle were insufficient,” comments Sgt. Tim Kuttschrutter.
“The deceased appears to be at fault. The truck driver actually tried to avoid this collision but due to the weather and the road conditions, he was unable to do so.” The road was shut down as police investigated but has since reopened.
It was a terrible start to an equally terrible afternoon drive that followed a day filled with skidding, sliding and slipping just about anywhere those on four wheels tried to go. A winter storm warning continues for the GTA and the big dump lasted until around midnight. At least 11 centimetres fell in most of the city and another 2-5 is still to come.
But forecasters now say we’re not likely to wind up with the 30 centimetres that some worried could come with this massive disturbance. But that doesn’t mean you can relax. There are still a lot of flakes falling from the sky, some of it mixed in with freezing rain and ice pellets. Residents are being warned to stay home if possible.
But if you do have to venture out, don’t expect to go anywhere but slow. OPP Sgt. Cam Woolley believes we’re lucky this big blow came when it did.
“It’s one of those good news/bad news,” he muses. “I think if the storm had hit at the beginning of the winter we would have seen more crashes, but frankly we are still disappointed in the number of crashes we’ve seen as most of them were caused by people still going too fast for conditions. We think motorists can do much better.”
Most were single vehicle collisions, with drivers skidding out and winding up in the ditch. Hills and bridges were among the worst affected and some vehicles simply couldn’t get up the inclines. “Four-wheel-drive helps,” one motorist concedes. “But I haven’t driven very far and I don’t plan on driving very far.”
Another man saw his Mercedes get stuck in the snow-clogged roads five times in just a few minutes. “I don’t want to take any more!” he complains.
The evidence of the slick streets was everywhere. Drivers trying to climb up the hill at Christie and Davenport were slip sliding away. So were those at nearby Bathurst St. A jackknifed tractor trailer created headaches at the QEW and Royal Windsor Drive. And at Islington and the 401, a number of trucks spun out trying to get onto the snow-clogged highway. They were eventually rescued by a salt truck.
The CAA fielded a large volume of calls for help, as vehicles either got stuck or failed to start. All were warned they’d be in for a long wait. But it still wasn’t as bad as those at the Association’s office feared.
“A lot of motorists decided to heed warnings about this winter storm and decided to just stay in bed, give themselves an extra long weekend and take it easy, or they decided to take public transit, maybe take a cab,” observes spokesperson Edyta Zdancewicz.
Salting crews were out early and often trying to help them, putting down a base to keep it all from freezing. Before it’s over some 12,000 tons of the substance will have been spilled on our roads. “We’ve been out since 5am with a serious salting operation,” confirms Toronto Transportation’s Myles Currie.
Plows have managed to get to all the major routes in the city at least twice, but what about your local road? You may have to wait a while yet. “Depending on the street, it’s going to be anywhere between 18 and 24 hours before we have all the side streets cleaned off,” Currie warns.
And getting away from it all hasn’t been easy either. Hundreds of flights were cancelled at Pearson International Airport, leaving those hoping to catch a plane out of this misery with cold comfort. Airlines are suggesting if you’re expecting to fly anytime on Friday, you should call first or check their websites before trying to make the sometimes difficult journey out to PIA.
Those staying home or finally getting back there were confronted with another unpleasant surprise – a mini-mountain of snow on their driveways. Farhan Shah made it to his house and immediately began attacking the pile. “I just got home from work and I figured I might as well just get started now. I know I’m going to probably be out here at least two, three times today if not more.”
And don’t forget to clear your sidewalk. While the city’s crews will eventually get to your street, a Toronto bylaw requires you to clear your ice within 12 hours after the storm stops.
And if the conditions meant a challenge for drivers, it was equally tough for pedestrians. Depending on where you were simply walking in it all was a chore. Downtown, where there’s more foot traffic, there was a lot of slushy, chunky snow, and you had to be careful where you stepped.
Uptown, things were worse – those who chose to hoof it were wading into ankle deep piles and in some areas, noticed a strange phenomenon. The winds whipping all those flakes around left many spots completely clear in sections, leaving the foot soldiers marching through huge drifts one second and clear breaks the next.
About the only ones smiling through all this were students. Most got a snow day, as schools all over the area simply shut down for the duration, giving them an unexpected long weekend.
And just in case you think this is an ordinary snow storm, consider this: it’s already cancelled skiing at the Dagmar Resort in Whitby. The reason is terribly ironic: there’s simply too much snow.
- The previous snowfall record for February 1 was 8cm back in 1967, a mark that was easily shattered on Friday.
Transportation a hassle everywhere
What’s the cause of most of the accidents?
Shovelling your driveway safely
Kids get unexpected snow day from school
What To Expect
The city’s money saving plan on snow removal goes out the window when these kinds of storms hit. But don’t expect anything to go quickly when Mother Nature takes over. There are 5,300 kilometres of roads to get through, 7,100 kilometres of sidewalks to dust off and at least 530 bridges to clean.
The order
Snow Starts: Salters take to the main streets and expressways to try and keep them as clear as possible.
5 centimetres on ground: Plows don’t go out until at least that much has fallen. They only head for the main drags, which means your side streets will have to wait.
5-8 centimetres: Collector roads, bus routes and local streets with hills get the next go-round.
8 centimetres or more: Plows finally start to get to your local streets.
Side streets: The city will only promise they’ll ‘get to you’ after all the main routes are attended to. So getting out onto them may be the biggest challenge. It takes between 15-20 hours to get to your little bit of hidden heaven plowed and most will only come after the snow stops falling. If they’re not done 24 hours after the snow stops, you can call the city at (416) 338-SNOW (7669) for more information. That number will also let you check on the plows’ progress.
Sidewalks: They get the clearing treatment 48 hours after a storm. But remember, you’re responsible for clearing your ice within 12 hours after a big dump, or you could face a $105 fine.
Source: City of Toronto
Check the roads through our Eyes cameras
Read meteorologist Michael Kuss’ latest blog on the storm
